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Washington-Irvine  Correspondence 


THE   OFFICIAL   LETTEK- 


PASSED   BETWEEN  WASHINGTON  AND  BRIG.-GEN.  WILLIAM 
IRVINE  AND  BETWEEN  IRVINE  AND  OTHERS  CON- 
CERNING   MILITARY  AFFAIRS   IN  THE 
WEST  FROM  1781   TO  1783 


ARRANGED  AND  ANNOTATED 


WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION    CONTAINING   AN   OUTLINE   OF 

EVENTS   OCCURRING  PREVIOUSLY  IN   THE 

TRANS-ALLEGHANY   COUNTRY 


ILLUSTRATED 


By  C.  W.  BUTTERFIELD 

Author  of  "  Crawford's  Campaign  against  Sandusky,"  "  History  of 

the  Discovery  of  the  Northwest  by  John  Nicolel" 

aud  other  works 


Madison,  Wis. 
DAVID  ATWOOD 

1882 


Copyrighted,  1S82, 
By   C.  W.  BUTTEKFIELD. 


DAVID  ATWOOD, 

•SINTER   AND   6TEREOTYPER, 

UAUSON,   WIS. 


LIBRARY 
A  "2  UNIVERSITY  OF  OAUFOR] 

SANTA   BARBARA 


PKEFACE. 


The  correspondence  between  General  Washington  as  commander-in-chief 
of  the  American  army  and  Brigadier  General  William  Irvine,  while  the  latter 
was  in  command  of  the  Western  Department,  headquarters  at  Fort  Pitt, 
Pittsburgh, —  a  period  extending  from  early  in  November,  1781,  to  October 
1,  1783, —  is  given  to  the  public  as  a  contribution  to  Revolutionary  history, 
having,  it  is  thought,  an  interest  and  value  as  illustrating  the  most  impor- 
tant events  which  transpired  in  the  west  during  the  last  years  of  the 
struggle  of  the  colonies  for  independence.  The  letters  in  the  text  which 
follow  this  correspondence  are  all  either  to  or  from  Gen.  Irvine:  they 
generally  relate  to  military  matters  in  the  trans-Alleghany  country  and  are 
mostly  written  by  officers  —  civil  or  military. 

The  selection  of  Gen.  Irvine,  at  a  critical  period,  to  take  charge  of  military 
affairs  in  the  west,  was  a  wise  one.  How  his  perseverance  brought  the 
repairs  of  Fort  Pitt  so  nearly  to  completion  as  twice  to  cause  the  abandon- 
ment by  the  enemy  of  expeditions  against  it;  how,  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  his  firmness  and  urbanity  preserved  order  at  Pittsburgh;  and  how  his 
prudence  and  sagacity  gave  confidence  to  the  distracted  border,  and  some- 
thing of  efficiency  to  its  militia;  —  will  hereafter  fully  appear.  His  letters 
are  characterized  by  clearness  in  descriptions,  faithfulness  in  statements 
and  carefulness  in  details. 

In  the  introduction  as  well  as  in  the  numerous  illustrative  notes  added 
to  the  letters  which  follow  it,  facts  have  been  given  with  but  little  reliance 
upon  tradition.  Contemporaneous  publications  and  manuscripts  have  been 
diligently  sought  for  and  carefully  compared,  and  the  substance  of  the 
principal  events  found  in  them  noted;  or  such  extracts  made  from  them  as, 
it  is  believed,  would  tend  to  elucidate  the  various  points  needing  illustration. 
If,  therefore,  statements  are  made  running  counter  to  some  in  current  his- 
tories of  the  west,  it  is  not  that  the  latter  have  been  overlooked,  but 
because,  after  due  consideration  and  the  closest  scrutiny,  they  have  been 
found  erroneous. 

It  would  seem  to  be  an  editor's  privilege  (if,  indeed,  it  is  not  his  duty) 
to  correct  verbal    and  grammatical   mistakes  or   inaccuracies,  in   bringing 


forth  the  letters  of  a  person  after  his  death,  written  without  any  design 
of  publication;  but,  in  doing  this,  great  caution  should  be  observed  that 
the  writer's  meaning  and  purpose  are  not  changed  or  affected.  This  rule 
has  been  applied  in  the  following  pages.  In  a  few  places,  words  have 
been  omitted  which,  if  expressed,  might  give  pain  to  living  persons.  In 
each,  the  fact  of  an  omission  is  indicated. 

Several  letters  written  by  Irvine  to  his  wife  while  he  was  in  charge 
of  Fort  Pitt  and  its  dependencies,  have  been  omitted  for  reason  of  their 
referring  largely  to  family  affairs;  those  only  being  printed  which  are  con- 
sidered of  importance  in  illustrating  matters  appertaining  to  the  General's 
command  in  the  Western  Department;  in  explaining  his  mode  of  living 
while  there;  or,  in  describing  the  condition  of  the  country  and  its  society. 
Some  have  also  been  omitted  which  were  written  to  Irvine  by  militia  officers 
stationed  upon  the  frontiers,  asking  for  supplies  of  ammunition  and  pro- 
visions; giving  information  as  to  the  marching  of  their  commands  to  differ- 
ent posts,  etc.  These,  it  is  thought,  would  convey  little  if  any  information 
of  interest  to  the  reader.  A  few  others  have  been  excluded  because  of 
their  being  repetitions  in  the  main,  or  because  of  their  having  no  relation 
to  events  transpiring  in  the  west. 

I  must  express  my  high  appreciation  of  the  kindness  of  Lord  Derby  in 
transmitting  through  the  American  Legation  in  London,  copies  of  letters  and 
documents  in  Her  Majesty's  State  Paper  office.  They  are,  in  general, 
extravagant  in  their  estimate  of  the  number  of  men  killed  of  the  Ameri- 
cans under  Col.  Win.  Crawford,  and  erroneous  as  to  the  intent  of  the 
borderers;  but  some  of  them  proved  to  be  of  value  as  illustrative  of  Gen. 
Irvine's  correspondence  and  as  corroborating  (and,  in  some  instances,  cor- 
recting) American  accounts  of  incidents  occurring  in  the  Sandusky  country 
during  the  year  1782.  I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Win.  A.  Irvine,  grandson  of 
Gen.  Irvine,  for  much  the  larger  part  of  the  letters  appearing  in  this 
volume  and  for  many  favors  in  connection  with  their  preparation  for  pub- 
lication. I  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging,  also,  in  a  special  manner,  my 
obligations  to  Mr.  Isaac  Craig  and  Mr.  Geo.  Plumer  Smith,  for  a  like  generous 
and  for  valuable  suggestions  while  the  work  was  going  through 
kindly  aid,  are  likewise  due  to  Lyman  C.  Draper, 
LL.D.,  l>r.  Win.  H.  Egle,  C.  C.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  and  Boyd  Crumrine,  Esq. 

Madison,  Wisoorbis,  1882.  C.  W.  B. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Pages. 
Chap.  I. —  The  West  to  the  Commencement  of  the  Revolution,     -  1-5 
II. —  War  Inaugurated   upon  the  Western  Border  of   Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia.    1776-1777,             -            -  6-12 
III. —  Hostilities  Increase  upon  the  Ohio.     1777-1778,    -            -  13-20 
IV. —  An  Expedition  Undertaken  against  Detroit  —  Its  Fail- 
ure.    1778-1779,      -           -           -           -           -  21-:;4 
V.— Progress  of  the  Western  Border  War.     1779-1781,        -  35-61 
VI. —  Biographical  Sketch  of  William  Irvine,        -            -  65-70 

WASHINGTON-IRVINE  LETTERS. 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Nov.  1,  1781,  -----  71 

Irvine  to  Washington,  Dec.  2,  1781,           ....  72 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Dec.  18,  1781, 83 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Dec.  21,  1781,         ....  84 

Irvine  to  Washington,  Feb.  7,  1782,     -----  89 

Washington  to  Irvine,  March  8,  1782,        ....  94 

Irvine  to  Washington,  March  17,  1782,  96 

Washington  to  Irvine,  March  22,  1782,      ....  98 

Irvine  to  Washington,  April  20,  1782,              ....  99 

Irvine  to  Washington,  May  2,  1782,          ...            -  10i> 

Irvine  to  Washington,  May  7,  1782,     -            -            -            -            -  112 

Irvine  to  Washington,  May  21,  1782,        ....  113 

Washington  to  Irvine,  May  22,  1782,  -            -            -  120 

Irvine  to  Washington,  June  16,  1782,         ....  121 

Irvine  to  Washington,  July  1,  1782,    -----  122 

Washington  to  Irvine,  July  10,  1782,         ...            -  125 

Irvine  to  Washington,  July  11,  1782,  -            -            -            -            -  126 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Aug.  6,  1782,          -            -            -            -  129 

Irvine  to  Washington,  Oct.  29,  1782, 133 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Dec.  11,  1782,          ...            -  141 

Irvine  to  Washington,  March  6,  1783,  142 

Irvine  to  Washington,  March  28,  1783,      -            -            -            -  144 

Irvine  to  Washington,  April  16,  1783,              -            -            -            -  148 

Washington  to  Irvine,  April  16,  1783,        -            -            -            -  149 

Irvine  to  Washington,  May  8,  1783,     -----  150 

Washington  to  Irvine,  Sept.  16,  1783,        -  151 


VI 


ConU  nt*. 


APPENDIXES. 

Pages. 

A.  —  Irvine  to  the  President  of  Congress,  -  153-15Q 
15.  —  I                      ■  ■  with  the  Continental  Board  of  War;  also  with 

the  Secretary  at  War  and  his  Assistant,            -           -  157-199 

i.!.  — Con  -\>  mdence  with  the  Bop  irintendent  of  Finance,            -  200-213 

D. — John  P  :  .  Paymaster-general i  to  Irvine,  -  -  214-216 
L.  —  Correspondence  with  the  Deputy  and  Assistant  Quartermaster- 

ral. 217-224 

I.  —  .  lence  with   John   Moylan,  Clothier- general,  and 

11. well,  his  Deputy,      -  225-22* 

(!.  — C  irreapoD  lence  with  the  Governors  of  Pennsylvania,              -  229-265 

II.  —  Correspondence  with  Benj.  Harrison,  Governor  of  Virginia,  266-271 
1.  — William  Davies,  Yh*ginia  Secretary  at  War,  to  Irvine,  -  272-276 
J.  —  I                 lence  with  the  Lieutenant  of  Washington  County, 

Pennsylvania,           ......  277-320 

K.  —  i  \  irrespondence  with  the  Lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  County, 

Pennsylvania, '  321-339 

L.  — Irvine  to  his  Wife, 340-348 

M. — Miscellaneous  Correspondence,      ....  349-423 

I.ndkx, 425-430 


THE  WASHINGTON  AND  IRVINE  PORTRAITS. 

The  portrait  of  Washington  in  this  work  is  from  a  Stuart  picture;  that  of 
Irvine,  from  an  oil  painting  by  B.  Otis,  after  one  by  Robert  Edge  Pine,  an 
eminent  English  artist,  who  came  to  America  in  1784.  The  original  was 
taken  in  New  York,  when  Irvine  was  a  member  of  Congress  —  aged  forty- 
eight. 


WASHINGTON-IRVINE  CORRESPONDENCE. 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  WEST  TO  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  vast  extent  of  country  lying  between  the  Alleghany 
mountains  on  the  east,  the  Mississippi  on  the  west,  and  bor- 
dered by  the  great  lakes  on  the  north,  was  first  explored  by 
Frenchmen,  and  to  a  very  limited  extent  occupied  by  them. 
They  had  here  their  forts,  trading-posts,  and  missions,  —  few 
in  number  it  is  true,  yet  sufficiently  numerous  to  exert  a  pow- 
erful influence  over  the  Indians,  whom  they  usually  endeavored 
to  conciliate  and  attach  to  their  interest.  France,  therefore, 
by  right  of  discovery  as  well  as  by  occupation,  claimed,  as 
against  the  civilized  world,  this  region  as  her  own.  But  French- 
men soon  had  rival  claimants  to  the  trans- Alleghany  country. 
England,  through  her  colonies,  coveted  the  goodly  land.  In  the 
very  nature  of  things,  a  contest  for  supremacy  could  not  long 
be  postponed.  By  proclamations  and  perishing  inscriptions,  as 
well  as  by  the  erection  of  military  posts,  France  sought  to  estab- 
lish firmly  the  Alleghanies  as  the  eastern  boundary  of  her  posses- 
sions, while  English  enterprise  not  only  carried  a  nominal 
occupation  into  the  Ohio  valley  but  pushed  the  fur-trader  far 
beyond  it.  England  demanded  explanations  for  French  en- 
croachments. France  answered  with  menaces  and  increased 
exertions  to  gain  a  permanent  foot-hold  in  the  Ohio  region. 
Hostilities  commenced  and  continued  until,  in  1755,  war  was 
fully  inaugurated.  France  at  first  was  victorious.  Braddock's 
defeat  was  a  humiliating  blow  to  Gjreat  Britain  and  her  Amer- 
ican colonies.  However,  in  the  end,  Wolfe  and  Amherst  con- 
quered Canada,  and  French  domination  in  North  America  was 
almost  wholly  overthrown. 
1 


Wash  mgton-Irviiie  Correspondence. 


Although  possession  of  a  large  portion  of  the  country  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  was  yielded  to  England  by  France  in  1760, 
pet  no  title  to  this  extensive  region  had  been  acquired  of  its 
Indian  occupants,  who  sullenly  acquiesced  in  the  change.  They 
had  been  the  close  and  trusted  allies  of  the  French,  but  the 
triumph  of  English  arms  caused  them  to  make  peace  with  the 
conquerors  —  a  peace  prompted  more  by  fear  than  friendship. 
Indifference  and  neglect  of  the  British  government,  outrages 
of  fur-traderSj  brutality  of  English  soldiery,  intrusion  of  pro- 
vincial settlers  upon  lands  of  border  tribes,  fabrications  and 
wiles  of  French  trading-companies — all  conspired  to  arouse 
their  Mar-spirit.  Their  leader  was  Pontiac,  a  war-chief  of  the 
Ottawas.  Every  English  post  west  of  Niagara  and  the  Alle- 
ghanies  fell  a  prey  to  savage  fury,  Ligonier,  Fort  Pitt  (Pitts- 
burgh), and  Detroit,  only  excepted.  The  western  frontiers  were, 
as  in  the  previous  war,  overrun  with  merciless  foes.  But 
England  and  her  colonies  soon  conquered  the  Indians,  dictating 
preliminary  treaties  of  peace  to  them  in  1764,  which  were  com- 
pleted not  long  afterward.  For  the  next  ten  years,  there  was 
as  much  quiet  along  the  Ohio  as  could  have  been  expected 
from  the  presence  of  savages  upon  one  side  of  the  river  and 
the  rapid  approach  of  white  settlers  to  the  other. 

At  the  close  of  Pontiac's  war,  there  were  not  to  be  found  any 
settlements  in  the  upper  Ohio  country.  Up  and  down  the 
Monongahela  and  its  branches  every  white  settler  had  been 
expelled.  From  the  headsprings  of  the  Alleghany  to  its  union 
with  its  sister  stream,  there  were  no  habitations  other  than  of 
savages.  At  the  junction  of  these  rivers,  where  the  city  of 
Pittsburgh  now  sits  enveloped  in  the  smoke  of  its  thousand  in- 
dustries,  there  was  very  little  to  indicate  the  presence  of  civili- 
zation .-ave  Fort  Pitt.  Outside  that  post,  there  was  not  an 
inhabited  hut  of  even  a  trader.  Down  the  Ohio  on  the  left 
was  an  uninhabited  region;  so,  also,  on  the  right  —  up  the 
Beaver,  the  Muskingum,  the  Scioto,  and  down  the  parent 
stream  to  its  mouth.  Settlements  upon  the  waters  of  the 
Monongahela  by  adventurous  Virginians,  begun  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  contest  between  England  and  France  for  the 
Ohio  country,  had  but  an  ephemeral  existence.    Houses  and 


Introduction.  3 


cornfields  of  English  traders,  which  then  dotted  the  margin  of 
the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries  in  a  few  places,  were  destroyed  by 
the  French  in  this  war  for  supremacy;  and  though  others  after- 
ward appeared,  nearly  all  vanished  before  the  devastating  hand 
of  the  foe  in  1763.  Pittsburgh,  dating  its  origin  from  English 
occupation  of  the  head  of  the  Ohio  in  1758,  attained,  by  the 
spring  of  1761,  to  the  dignity  of  a  population  numbering  three 
hundred  and  thirty-two,  occupying  one  hundred  and  four  houses. 
Doubtless  both  had  considerably  increased  by  May,  1763,  when 
most  of  its  log  cabins  were  leveled  to  the  ground,  and  the 
occupants  of  all  driven  into  the  fort  for  protection  against  the 
wild  warriors  of  Pontiac's  confederation. 

Notwithstanding  the  king  of  England's  proclamation  of 
1763,  prohibiting  colonial  governors  from  granting  warrants 
for  lands  to  the  westward  of  the  sources  of  the  rivers  running: 
into  the  Atlantic,  and  forbidding  all  persons  purchasing  such 
lands  or  settling  on  them  without  special  license  from  the  crown, 
emigration  two  years  thereafter  broke  through  the  barriers  of 
the  Alleghanies,  rolling  into  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  from  that 
time  forward  with  a  resistless  tide;  so  that  the  purpose  of  roy- 
alty in  limiting  settlements  to  the  east  side  of  the  mountains  — 
whether  to  set  bounds  to  the  aspirations  of  the  colonies  or  a 
temporary  expedient  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  Indians  —  was 
signally  frustrated.  In  1765,  Pittsburgh  again  started  —  this 
time  upon  a  permanent  but  not  rapid  career  to  prosperity 
and  greatness.  Emigrants  to  the  Ohio  valley  were,  generally, 
either  such  as  came  to  secure  fertile  and  cheap  lands,  or  they  were 
traders  with  the  Indians.  The  former  class  was  looked  upon  by 
the  various  tribes  claiming  the  country,  as  trespassers;  and  it 
was  the  policy  of  the  home  government  as  well  as  Pennsylvania  so 
to  treat  them.  Those  who  came  to  cultivate  the  soil  were  largely 
from  Virginia,  but  the  traders  were  mostly  Pennsylvanians. 

Two  principal  highways  were  followed  in  coming  over  the 
mountains :  the  northern  route  was  known  as  Forbes',  or  the 
Pennsylvania  road;  the  southern,  as  Braddock's,  or  the  Virginia 
road.  Parties  from  Maryland  or  Virginia  in  emigrating  to  the 
Ohio  country,  traveled  the  last  mentioned  route.  Settlements 
soon  extended.     In  1768,  the  Indian  title  to  a  considerable 


Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


portion  of  western  Pennsylvania,  east  and  south  of  the  Alle- 
ghany and  Ohio  rivers,  was  purchased,  leaving,  however,  it  and 
much  more  in  dispute  as  between  the  Penns  and  Virginia,  while 
large  tracts  were  claimed  by  individuals  under  grants  from 
3ome  of  the  Indian  tribes.  These  grants  needed  confirmation 
by  the  crown  to  1"'  valid. 

Pittsburgh  grew  Blowly.  About  twenty  houses,  and  these 
occupied  by  traders,  were  all  that  the  place  could  boast  of  in 
177".  The  number  increased,  however,  in  the  next  two  years  to 
thirty.  Probably  not  less  than  fifty  constituted  the  town  at 
the  commencement  of  1774.  From  Fort  Pitt,  far  up  the  Mo- 
nongahela  and  along  many  of  its  branches,  were  settlements. 
Upon  eastern  tributaries  of  the  Ohio,  and  down  that  stream  for 
more  than  one  hundred  miles  were  to  be  seen  cabins  of  frontier- 
men:  hut  not  a  single  settler  had  yet  ventured  across  that  river. 
Small  cultivated  iields  broke  in  upon  the  monotony  of  the  wil- 
derness for  a  short  distance  up  the  east  side  of  the  Alleghany 
from  Pittsburgh,  while  toward  the  mountains,  Forbes' road  was, 
in  general,  the  northern  limit  of  civilized  habitations. 

Augusta  county,  Virginia,  at  the  beginning  of  1774,  com- 
prehended not  only  the  whole  of  the  northwestern  portion  of 
the  present  state  of  West  Virginia,  but  also  a  large  part  of 
what  is  now  southwestern  Pennsylvania  including  Pitsburgh; 
that  is,  such  was  then  the  claim  of  Virginia.  On  the  other 
hand,  Westmoreland  county  had  been  formed  the  year  previ- 
ous by  Pennsylvania,  to  include  all  of  that  state,  as  at  present 
constituted,  west  of  the  Laurel  Hill.  This  conflict  of  juris- 
diction caused  serious  trouble.  The  southern  line  of  Pennsyl- 
vania  had  not  been  extended  farther  to  the  westward  than  a 
short  distance  beyond  the  Monongahela,  and  it  was  not  till  ten 
years  Bubsequenl  to  this  date  that  it  was  finally  completed. 

The  county-seat  of  Westmoreland  county  was  Hannastown, 
aboul  thirty-five  mile-  from  Pittsburgh  on  Forbes'  road,  where 
'and  at  Ligonier  still  further  eastward)  Pennsylvania  inter- 
Bets  were  paramount.  In  many  of  the  other  settlements,  the 
citizens  were  largely  in  sympathy  with  Virginia.  However, 
the  Alleghany  and  Ohio,  in  the  Indian  country,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  fur-traders  was  the  leading  one  with  the  various 


Introduction. 


tribes.  These  dealers  dreaded  above  all  things  an  Indian  war. 
Most  of  them  lived  in  the  northern  settlements,  especially  at 
or  near  Pittsburgh — the  principal  depot  west  of  the  moun- 
tains for  Indian  supplies. 

In  1774,  the  Virginia  county  of  Fincastle  included,  south 
and  southwest  of  Augusta  county,  the  lower  portions  of  the 
valley  of  the  Great  Kanawha  and  extended  westward  so  as  to 
comprehend  the  whole  of  the  present  state  of  Kentucky,  but 
no  where  crossed  the  Ohio.  All  was,  however,  uninhabited. 
It  was  only  that  part  of  the  county  lying  to  the  eastward  <  if 
this  that  was  settled.  The  presence  of  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania land-claimants  and  surveyors,  along  the  Ohio  in  1773,  and 
in  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  precipitated  hostilities  with 
the  Shawanese  and  Mingoes,  whose  observance  of  the  peace 
of  1764  had  been  far  from  cordial,  especially  toward  the  citi- 
zens of  Virginia.  Lord  Dunmore's  war  ensued.  Wakatomica, 
an  Indian  town  located  upon  the  Muskingum,  was  destroyed 
by  the  Virginians,  with  out-lying  villages.  The  battle  of  Point 
Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha  river,  on  the 
tenth  of  October,  1774,  when  victory  over  the  savages  was  pur- 
chased at  a  price  well-nigh  commensurate  with  defeat,  compelled 
the  Indians  to  sue  for  peace,  negotiations  for  which,  near  their 
villages  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto,  were  rendered  famous  by 
the  eloquent  speech  of  Logan,  the  Mingo  chief. 

The  day  of  the  revolution  now  began  to  dawn.  Quickly, 
after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  were  the  fires  of  patriotism 
lighted  west  of  the  mountains.  The  hearts  of  many  of  the 
backwoodsmen  were  soon  aglow  with  enthusiasm  for  the  cause 
of  liberty.  On  the  sixteenth  of  May,  1775,  conventions  were 
held  at  Pittsburgh  and  Hannastown  for  citizens  to  give  ex- 
pression to  their  views  and  sentiments  regarding  the  acts  of 
the  mother  country,  and  to  take  initiatory  steps  toward  provid- 
ing for  the  common  defense.  The  boundary  troubles  for  the 
time  were  forgotten.  In  the  fall,  a  number  of  frontiermen  en- 
listed for  Virginia  service.  The  commencement  of  1776  found 
the  trans-Alleghany  settlements  not  greatly  behind  the  sea- 
board in  their  determination  to  repel,  by  force  of  arms,  aggres- 
sions of  parliament  and  the  king. 


~Wa.sk ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WAR  INAUGURATED  UPON  THE  WESTERN  BORDER  OF  PENN- 
SYLVANIA AND  VIRGINIA.    1776—1777.  | 

At  the  commencement  of  the  struggle  of  the  colonies  for  in- 
lependence,  the  scattered  settlements  to  the  westward  of  the 
Alleghanies  had  little  to  fear  from  invading  armies  of  Great 
Britain.  Their  dread  was  of  a  more  merciless  foe.  Nor  were 
their  apprehensions  groundless;  for  the  Indians  of  the  north- 
west, influenced  by  British  gold  and  the  machinations  of  English 
traders  and  emissaries,  early  gave  evidence  of  hostile  intentions. 
Explanations  by  the  United  States,  made  in  1775  and  177G,  to 
some  of  the  tribes  at  treaties  held  with  them  at  Pittsburgh,  that 
the  questions  in  dispute  did  not  necessarily  affect  their  interests, 
were  to  little  purpose.  Gradually  they  arrayed  themselves 
against  the  Americans,  the  more  remote  nations  being  the  first 
to  attach  themselves  to  the  British.  Painted  and  plumed  war- 
riors soon  carried  destruction  and  death  to  the  dismayed  frontiers, 
—  the  direct  result  of  a  most  ferocious  policy,  adopted  by  Eng- 
land in  opposition  to  the  advice  of  some  of  her  best  and  ablest 
statesmen,  —  "letting  loose,"  in  the  language  of  Chatham,  "the 
horrible  hell-hounds  of  savage  war"  upon  the  exposed  settle- 
ments. 

The  deadly  strife  thus  begun,  was  made  up  on  the  side  of  the 
Indians  largely  of  predatory  incursions  of  scalping  parties,  the 
tomahawk  and  Bcalping-knife  sparing  neither  age  nor  sex,  while 
tli'-  torch  laid  waste  the  homes  of  the  unfortunate  bordermen. 
It  Is  difficult  fully  to  appreciate  the  appalling  dangers  which  beset 
the  frontiers;  for,to  the  natural  ferocity  of  the  savages,  there  was 
added  the  powerful  support  of  Great  Britain,  lavish  in  her  re- 
sources, whose  western  agents,  especially  at  the  commencement 
of  the  war.  were  noted  for  their  zeal  in  obeying  the  behests  of 
their  government. 

The  principal   point  of  British  power  and  influence  in  the 


Introduction. 


northwest  was  Detroit,  where  Lieutenant-Governor  Henry  Ham- 
ilton, who  paid  a  bounty  for  scalps,  but  withheld  it  for  prison- 
ers,1 was  in  command.  Being  captured  by  Virginians  early  in 
1779,  he  was  succeeded  before  the  close  of  that  year  by  Major  A. 
S.  De  Peyster,  who,  although  carrying  out  the  policy  of  his  gov- 
ernment, did  so  in  the  spirit  of  an  enlightened  humanity.2  In- 
dian depredations  upon  the  western  frontier  of  Virginia3  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  infant  settlements  of  Kentucky,4  drew, 
to  a  great  extent,  their  inspiration  from  that  post.  It  was  there 
the  Wyandots,  from  its  immediate  vicinity  and  from  the  San- 
dusky—  a  river  flowing  north  into  Sandusky  bay  —  were  en- 
listed in  the  interests  of  Great  Britain.  It  was  there  these 
Indians,  and  the  Shawanese  from  the  Miami  and  Scioto  rivers  — 
northern  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  —  received  aid  to  pillage  and 
destroy.  And  it  was  there  that  these  and  other  tribes  were 
made  close  allies  of  the  English,  and  then  turned  loose  upon  the 
exposed  settlements  of  the  west.     These  they  assailed  with  an 

1  "Governor  Hamilton  gave  standing  rewards  for  scalps,  but  offered  none  for  prisoners, 
which  induced  the  Indians,  after  making  their  captives  carry  their  baggage  into  the 
neighborhood  of  the  fort  [Detroit],  there  to  put  them  to  death."— Va.  Council,  l(i  June, 
1779.  "When  we  arrived  there  [on  the  bank  of  the  Detroit  river],  we  found  Governor' 
Hamilton,  and  several  other  British  officers,  who  were  standing  and  sitting  around.  Im- 
mediately—  the  Indians  produced  a  large  quantity  of  scalps;  the  cannon  fired; 
the  Indians  raised  a  shout;  and  the  soldiers  waved  their  hats,  with  huzzas  and  tremen- 
dous shrieks,  which  lasted  some  time.  This  ceremony  being  ended,  the  Indians  brought 
forward  a  parcel  of  Ame;  icau  prisoners,  as  a  trophy  of  their  victories ;  among  whom  were 
eighteen  women  and  children,  poor  creatures,  dreadfully  mangled  and  emaciated,  with 
their  clothes  tattered  and  torn  to  pieces  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  hide  their  nakedness ; 
their  legs  bare  and  streaming  with  blood,  the  effects  of  being  torn  with  thorns,  briers,  and 

brush If  I  had  had  an  opportunity,  I  should  certainly  have  killed  the  Governor, 

who  seemed  to  take  great  delight  in  the  exhibition.'"—  Leeth's  Narrative,  pp.10,  11. 
This  is  an  exceedingly  rare  production;  so  rare,  indeed,  that  the  pamphlet  entire,  which  is 
now  before  me,  has  only  been  obtained  by  gathering  three  distinct  parts  of  it,  from  as 
many  states. 

2  "  De  Peyster  got  above  three  hundred  prisoners  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Indians."  (See 
"  Miscellanies  "  of  that  officer,  p.  246,  note). 

3  By  "the  western  frontier  of  Virginia"  is  meant  —  and  the  words  are  use!  with  that 
signification  in  the  following  pages  — no  farther  to  the  westward  than  the  Ohio,  nor  to 
the  south-westward  than  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  although  the  claims  of  Vir- 
ginia, at  that  date,  included  the  whole  of  Kentucky,  and,  before  the  close  of  the  revolu- 
tion, the  Illinois  country  also ;  but,  by  her  deed  of  cession  to  the  United  States  of  1781,  and 
by  the  admission  of  Kentucky  into  the  Union  in  1792,  and  that  of  West  Virginia  in  1863, 
she  was  reduced  to  her  present  limits. 

4  The  few  settlements  in  Kentucky  experienced,  during  the  revolution,  all  the  horrors 
of  savage  warfare;  but  a  consideration  of  the  events  transpiring  there  during  that  period, 
closely  connected  as  some  of  them  were  with  incidents  upon  the  western  borders  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  is  beyond  the  scope  proposed  for  this  work. 


Washington-Irvine  ( Correspondence. 


indiscriminate  thirst  for  blood  that  could  seldom  be  restrained, 
even  under  the  humane  authority  of  De  Peyster. 

The  important  post,  however,  of  Fort  Pitt  was  in  possession  of 
the  Americans;  and  it  continued  the  center  of  government  au- 
thority and  interest  west  of  the  Alleghanies  during  the  revolu- 
tionary contest.  The  peculiar  nature  of  the  war  in  the  trans- 
Alleghany  country  made  it  incumbent  on  the  officers  of  the  pa- 
triot army  in  charge  of  affairs  there  to  direct,  so  long  as  the 
struggle  continued,  their  military  operations  almost  wholly  with 
a  view  to'the  security  of  the  exposed  settlements.  To  this  end, 
expeditions  several  times  marched  into  the  enemy's  country,  gen- 
erally organizing  at  Fort  Pitt,  or  receiving  material  aid  from 
that  post  These  enterprises  were  not  always  successful.  Some, 
indeed,  were  highly  disastrous.  Nor  were  the  British  and  their 
Indian  allies  usually  more  fortunate  in  their  principal  endeavors 
against  the  frontiers.  It  was  the  continual  inroads  of  small 
numbers  of  savages,  though  the  latter  were  frequently  pursued, 
and  a  just  retribution  was  occasionally  visited  upon  them,  that 
brought  to  the  homes  of  the  backwoodsmen  innumerable  woes. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  September,  1T75,  Captain  John  Ne- 
ville1 t<  >ok  possession,  under  orders  of  Virginia,  of  the  dilapidated 
fort  at  Pittsburgh,2  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  of  the  militiaof 
that  commonwealth,  and  held  it,  '"covering  and  protecting"  the 
border  until  early  in  1777,  when  his  force  was  relieved  by  an- 
other company.3  At  the  time  orders  were  issued  to  garrison 
Fort  Pitt,  a  small  force  was  directed  to  occupy  Fort  Fincastle, 
at  the  mouth  of  Wheeling  creek,1  and  one  was  also  ordered  sta- 
tioned at  Point  Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha 
river.8  Fort  Pitt,  near  which,  previous  to  its  commencement 
by  the  English  in  175S,  was  Fort  Duquesne  of  the  French, 

J  Neville  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1781 ;  died  near  Pittsburgh,  29th  July.  1808. 

Arch.,  IV,  660.    Benning'a  Va.  Stat.,  vol.  9,  p.  13.    Craig's  Hist,  ol  Pittsburgh, 
p.  IS. 

» It «u  resolved  by  the  Virginia  Council, Feb.  7, 1777,  that  "Col.  Dorsey  I'entecost, 

lieutenant  of  Yohogania  county,  Virginia  [then  the  Virginia  county  which  Included 

il'med  by  that  state],  raise  one  hundred  militia  to  garrison  Port  Pitt; 

mdl  Lai  Lieut.  Thad.  Kelloy,  2d  Lieut.  Wm.  Anderson,  and 

I        vi  .lull n  Ward,  wiiii  their  [that]  fohogania  company,  are  to  command  there." 

«  Now  tie-  site  of  the  city  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 

•Within  the  present  county  of  Mason,  West  Virginia. 


Introduction.  0 


was  abandoned  and  partly  demolished  by  the  British  in  1772, 
but  was  again  occupied  in  1774,  in  a  partisan  way,  by  Virginia 
militia,  to  enforce  in  the  vicinity  the  laws  of  that  province,  and 
its  name  changed  to  Fort  Dunmore.  This  occupation,  however, 
was  brought  to  an  end  in  July,  1775,  and  the  name  fully  restored 
when  Lord  Dunmore  became  odious  to  Virginia  patriots. 

The  Indian  policy  of  Neville,  while  in  command  at  Fort  Pitt, 
was  one  of  strict  neutrality,  powerless,  however,  to  a  great  extent 
with  all  the  western  tribes,  except  the  Delawares.  These  Indi- 
ans were  principally  located  upon  the  Muskingum.1  Their  most 
important  village  was  Coshocton.2  In  holding  this  nation  in 
check,  he  was  powerfully  aided  by  George  Morgan,  congressional 
agent  of  Indian  affairs  of  "  the  middle  department  "s  in  the  west, 
also  by  commissioners  of  the  United  States,  who  made  treaties 
with  them,  and  by  Moravian  missionaries,  who  had  brought 
Indian  converts  from  the  Susquehanna  and  Beaver  rivers,  in 
Pennsylvania,  to  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  where  they  were  living 
in  towns  some  distance  above  Coshocton,  on  the  Tuscarawas 
river. 

Although  Hamilton,  at  Detroit,  had,  as  early  as  September, 
1776,  exerted  himself  to  organize  small  parties  of  savages  against 
the  " i  scattered  settlers  on  the  Ohio '  and  its  branches,"  yet 
the  war  upon  the  western  border  was  not  fully  inaugurated 
for  nearly  a  year  after.  But  the  frontiers  of  Virginia, 
meanwhile,  were  sorely  afflicted  with  savage  incursions, 
mostly  by  a  lawless  gang  of  the  Mohawk  Pluggy,  located 
upon  the  Olentangy,  or  Whetstone,  the  principal  eastern  trib- 
utary of  the  Scioto,  some  distance  above  its  confluence  with 
that  stream.4     This  band  was  without  tribal  organization  and 

1  This  river  was  known  as  the  Muskingum  as  far  up  as  the  mouth  of  Sandy  creek,  its 
main  eastern  affluent,  for  several  years  after  that  date.  It  is  now  called  the  Tuscarawas 
as  far  down  as  the  mouth  of  the  Walhonding,  or  White  Woman,  its  chief  western  tribu- 
tary, and  is  so  distinguished  in  the  following  pages. 

2  Synonyms:  Cooshacking,  Coochocking,  Goshoehking,  Goschachguenk,  etc.  It  was 
the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Coshocton,  county-seat  of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio. 

3  Such  was  the  designation  of  one  of  three  Indian  departments  previously  created  by 
congress.  It  included  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  This  region,  as  one  of  the 
military  divisions  of  the  United  States,  was  known  as  the  "western  department"  during 
the  revolution. 

4  The  site  of  Pluggy's  town  was  identical  with  that  of  the  present  town  of  Delaware, 
Delaware  county,  Ohio.    For  determining  its  location,  I  have  relied  mainly  upon  an 


10  Wash  ington-Irvvne  Correspondence. 

marauded  upon  the  border  settlements  independent  of  sur- 
rounding nations.  So  galling  did  these  visitations  become  that 
the  distressed  commonwealth,  upon  the  recommendation  of  con- 
-.  determined,  in  the  spring  of  1777,  to  send  an  expedition 
against  Pluggy's  town;  but  the  project,  after  considerable  prep- 
aration, was  laid  aside  lest  it  should  cause  the  Delaware's  and 
Shawanese  to  take  up  the  hatchet. 

On  Sunday,  the  first  day  of  June,  1777,  Brigadier  General 
Edward  Hand  of  the  continental  army,  "famed  for  his  splen- 
did horsemanship,"  arrived  at  Fort  Pitt  unaccompanied  by 
troop.-.1  except  aii  escort  of  militia  light  horse,2  which  had  met 
him  west  of  the  mountains,  and  assumed  the  chief  command  at 
Pittsburgh.3  Not  long  after  his  arrival,  Hand  resolved  upon 
:m  expedition  against  the  savages,  —  seemingly  a  timely  move- 
ment, for  up  to  the  last  of  July  there  had  been  sent  out  from 
Detroit  to  devastate  the  western  settlements,  fifteen  parties  of 
Indians,  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  braves,  with 
thirty  white  officers  and  rangers.  The  extreme  frontier  line 
no  ding  protection  on  the  north  reached  from  the  Alleghany 
mountains  to  Kittanning4  on  the  Alleghany  river  forty-five  miles 
above  Pittsburgh,  thence  on  the  west,  down  that  stream  and 
the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  The  only  posts 
of  importance  below  Fort  Pitt,  at  this  date,  were  Fort  Henry5 
ut  Winding,  and  Fort  Randolph  at  Point  Pleasant:6  the  former 
was  built  at  the  commencement  of  Lord  Dunmore's  war  in  1774; 
the  latter  was  erected  by  Virginia,  in  1775.  Itude  stockades 
and  block  houses  were  multiplied  in  the  intervening  distances 
and  in  the  most  exposed  settlements.     They  were  defended  by 

authentic  copy  of  Janii'-  Wo  id's  MS.  Journal  of  a  visit  to  the  western  tribes,  in  1773. 
[nave  before  me  an  original  letter  of  1779,  written  by  Kill  buck,  a  Delaware  chief,  to 
Col.  Daniel  Brodbead  also  throwing  light  upon  the  subject.  Geo.  Morgan  (Hildroth'a 
Pion.  Hist.,  p.  110)  simply  locates  the  place  upon  the  upper  waters  ol  the  Bcioto.  -\ll 
other  printed  authorities  which  have  fallen  under  my  notice,  are  equally  vagae. 

•  Francis  Dunlavy's  declaration  for  a  pension — 1838:  MS.  copy.  The  original  is  one 
of  the  completes!  on  file  in  the  pension  office  relating  to  revolul  Lonary  service. 

•  Ilaml  in  hii  ii  Pittsburgh,  I  .June  1777,  .MS. 

....  of  a  mixed  nature— regulars,  independents,  and  militia.     Dun> 
ition  for  a  pension,  Ms. 

•  Where  is  now  located  the  town  of  that  name,  county-scat  of  Armstrong  county, 
P«  in.- .  i .  ania. 

istle. 
•The  site  uf  the  present  town  of  Point  Pleasant,  Mason  county,  West  Virginia 


Introduction.  11 


small  detachments  from  a  Yirginia  regiment,1  also  by  at  least 
one  independent  company,2  and  by  squads  of  militia  on  short 
tours  of  duty.  Scouts  likewise  patrolled  the  country  where 
danger  seemed  most  imminent.  But  the  wily  savage  fre- 
quently eluded  their  vigilance  and  fell  with  remorseless  cruelty 
upon  the  homes  of  the  bordermen.  The  suffering  from  this 
irregular  warfare  —  legitimate  from  the  stand-point  of  the 
Indian,  but  wanton  and  murderous  in  its  instigators  —  was 
terrible. 

It  was  the  belief  of  General  Hand  that  nothing  but  pene- 
trating the  country  of  the  savages  and  destroying  the  settle- 
ments of  the  "  perfidious  miscreants  "  could  "  prevent  the  de- 
population of  the  frontiers." 3  The  Wyandots,  and  particularly 
the  Mingoes  —  Pluggy's-town  Indians  —  were  the  most  trouble- 
some. A  demand,  by  the  Fort  Pitt  commander  of  two  thou- 
sand men  from  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania  and  Yir- 
ginia, to  attack  these  enemies,  was  not  responded  to  with  alac- 
rity, although  eight  hundred  men  were  embodied  including 
regulars  at  Forts  Pitt  and  Randolph.4  "  I  have  many  difficul- 
ties," wrote  Hand  to  a  friend,  "to  encounter;  yet  I  hope  to 
drink  your  health  in  pure  element  at  Sandusky  before  Christ- 
mas." 5  Late  in  the  autumn,  having  been  deceived  as  to  the 
strength  and  spirit  of  the  people,  he  abandoned  the  expedition. 
"  I  fully  expected,"  he  wrote,  "  to  be  able  to  give  the  Wyandots 
a  specimen  of  what  their  perfidy  so  justly  deserves;  but,  to  my 
great  mortification,  I  am  obliged  to  relinquish  the  design."6 
There  was  a  lack  both  of  men  and.  supplies.  One  reason  for 
the  failure  was  a  want  of  concert  between  General  Hand  and 
the  lieutenants  and  militia  officers  of  the  border  counties  of 


1  The  Thirteenth.  Virginia,  usually  called,  at  that  time,  the  West  Augusta  regiment. 
3  Capt.  Sam.  Moorhead's  independent  company  of  Pennsylvania  troops. 

3  Hand  to  Sup.  Ex.  Council  of  Pa.,  34  July,  1777,  in  Penn.  Arch.,  V,  443. 

4  Hand  to  Washington,  9  Nov.  1777,  MS. 

5  Hand  to  Wm.  liussell,  14  Oct.,  177V,  MS.  The  General,  in  using  the  term  "  at  San- 
dusky," meant,  at  the  Wyandot  Indian  town  of  Upper  Sandusky,  then  located  upon  the 
upper  waters  of  the  Sandusky  river,  in  what  is  now  Wyandot  county,  Ohio. 

6  Hand  to  the  governor  of  Va.,  9  Nov.,  1777,  MS.  Extensive  preparations  had  been 
made  for  this,  the  first  expedition  projected  in  the  west  against  Sandusky.  It  was  ap- 
parently the  intention  of  Hand  to  have  attacked  the  Pluggy's  town  Indians  as  well  as 
the  Wyandots. 


11  ~Wa$li'ington-I rvine  Correspondence. 

Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.1  Another  element  militating 
against  unity  of  action  was  the  existence  of  the  boundary  con- 
troversy between  the  two  states.     Although  at  the  beginning 

■  f  trouble  with  the  mother  country  this  had  been  suffered  to 
slumber,  and  although  delegates  in  congress  had  early  in  the 
war  urged  the  people  of  the  disputed  territory  to  mutual  for- 
bearance, it  again  stirred  up  partisan  hatred,  Stirling  in  a  greater 

,r  leBS  degree  many  patriotic  resolutions  of  the  borderers,  to 
the  detriment  of  the  western  country  generally.  The  most, 
therefore,  that  Hand  could  accomplish  was,  a  partial  protection 
of  the  settlement-  by  acting  on  the  defensive  only.  u  If  I  can 
assist  the  inhabitants  to  stand  their  ground/'  he  wrote,  "  I  shall 
deem  myself  doing  a  great  deal."2 


1  A  distinction  is  properly  drawn  between  the  lieutenants  of  the  various  counties  of 

Hid  the  officers  of  the  militia  therein.  The  former  were  appointed 
by  the  respective  commonwealths  and  had  control  of,  and  general  supervision  over, 
military  affairs  of  the  county  wherein  each  resided.  They  received  the  title  of  col- 
onel. Under  their  orders  were  the  officers  of  the  various  battalions  of  militia  in  the 
different  counties. 

2  Hand  to  his  wife,  2  Nov.,  1777,  MS.  It  had  been  General  Hand's  intention  to  as- 
semble his  forces  at  Port  Randolph,  marching  thence  across  the  Ohio  into  the  enemy's 
country  (Withers1  Border  Warfare,  pp.  151,  152);  and  several  companies  of  Virginia 
militia  reached  that  post  for  the  intended  expedition.  Hand  afterward  dropped  down 
the  river  to  the  fort,  but  "  without  an  army,  and  without  provisions  for  those  who  had 
been  awaiting  his  coming.  It  was  then  determined  to  abandon  the  expedition."— lb. 
p.  155. 


Introduction.  13 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOSTILITIES  INCREASE  UPON  THE  OHIO.    1777-1778. 

About  the  time  General  Hand  commenced  his  labors  to  or- 
ganize an  expedition  against  the  savages,  the  Mingoes  upon  the 
Scioto,  and  the  Wyandots  upon  the  Sandusky,  with  a  few  Shaw- 
anese  and  Delawares,  began  the  laying  of  a  scheme  to  capture 
Fort  Henry.  On  the  first  day  of  September,1  that  post  was 
beset  by  about  two  hundred  Indians,2  the  first  attempt  of  the 
savages  against  this  frontier,  in  force,  after  the  commencement 
of  the  war  in  the  west.  The  assailants,  having  successfully  am- 
bushed a  portion  of  the  garrison,  withdrew  across  the  Ohio 
with  a  trifling  loss.3  Fifteen  of  the  Americans  were  killed,  and 
five  wounded.4  On  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  same  month,  forty- 
six  men  started  from  Fort  Henry  on  a  reconoitering  expedition 
down  the  Ohio.  The  next  day,  on  their  return,  when  about 
eight  miles  below  Wheeling,  on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  river, 
they  were  attacked  by  forty  "Wyandots. 5  Twenty-one  were 
killed,  several  wounded,6  and  one  captured. 7  The  whole  region 
west  of  the  mountains,  because  of  these  disasters  and  the  en- 
forced evacuation  of  the  small  post  at  Ki Manning,8  was  now 

1  David  Shepherd  to  Hand,  from  Fort  Henry,  3  Sept.,  1777,  MS.  John  Gibson  to  same, 
4  Sept.,  1777,  MS.    Hand  to  Kussell,  14  Oct.,  1777,  MS. 

2 "Between  two  and  three  hundred:"  Shepherd  to  Hand,  15  Sept.,  1777,  MS.  "  Two 
hundred  and  ten  warriors:"  White  Eyes  to  Geo.  Morgan,  23  Sept.,  1777,  MS. 

3  "One  killed  and  nine  wounded:"  David  Zeisberger  to  Hand,  22  Sept.,  1777,  MS. 

*  Shepherd  to  Hand,  15  Sept.,  1777,  MS. 

6  Zeisberger  to  Hand,  22  Sept.,  1777,  MS. 

»  Shepherd  to  Hand,  27  Sept.,  1777,  MS.  John  Van  Matre  to  Ed.  Cook,  28  Sept.,  1777. 
MS.  Daniel  McFarland  to  Hand,  30  Sept.,  1777,  MS.  James  Chew  to  same,  3  Oct.,  1777, 
MS.    Hand  to  his  wife,  9  Oct.,  1777,  MS. 

7 His  name  was  Jacob  Pugh.  Compare  Hildrcth*s  Pion.  Hist.,  128;  also  DeHass1  Hist. 
Ind.  Wars  W.  Va.,  279.  This  ill-starred  expedition  is  known  in  western  border  annals 
as  "Foreman's  Defeat." 

8  "  Being  convinced  that,  in  your  present  situation,  you  are  not  able  to  defend  your- 
self, much  less  to  render  the  continent  any  service,  you  will  withdraw  from  Kittanning. 
bringing  everything  away,  portable,  leaving  the  houses  and  barracks  standing:"  Hand 
to  Capt.  Samuel  Moorhead,  14  Sept.,  1777,  MS.  The  place  was  occupied  by  troops  for 
the  first  time  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  There  were  then  only  a  few  cabins  at  that 
point.    Fort  Armstrong  was  afterward  built  there. 


IJf  Washington-Irvine  Corresjiondence. 

thoroughly  alarmed.  Many  feared  the  Alleghanies  would  again 
become  the  western  frontier  line  of  the  settlements.  "We 
have  no  prospects,"  wrote  a  citizen  of  the  western  department, 
"  but  desolation  and  destruction."    "There  are  very  few  days."  he 

continued,  "  that  there  is  not  a  murder  committed  on  some  part 
of  our  frontiers."  x 

The  Shawanese  Indians,  whose  villages  were  upon  the  Scioto 
and  Miami,  and  whose  principal  chief  was  Cornstalk,2  did  not 
readily  join  the  Wyandots  and  Mingoes  in  their  hostility  to  the 
Americans. 3  Farther  removed  from  British  intrigue  at  Detroit, 
anil  influenced  by  the  neutral  Delawares,  it  was  not  until  the 
autumn  of  1777,  that  a  majority  of  the  nation  resolved  to  unite 
with  their  neighbors  against  the  border.  But  Cornstalk  and 
his  clan  remained  friendly.  Anxious  to  promote  peace,  two  of 
his  warriors  came  to  Captain  Matthew  Arbuckle.  then  in  com- 
mand at  Fort  Randolph,  making  inquiries  and  professing  friend- 
ship. These  were  detained  by  the  commandant,  who  feared  they 
were  spits. 4  Afterward,  Cornstalk  himself  came.  He,  too,  was 
deprived  of  his  liberty.  "  I  am  well  satisfied,"  wrote  Arbuckle, 
"  the  Shawanese  are  all  our  enemies." 5  On  the  tenth  of  No- 
vember, the  four  Indians  —  for  Cornstalk's  son  was  then  with 
them  —  were  killed  in  cold  blood  by  the  uncontrollable  militia 
at  the  post,  in  revenge  for  the  death  of  one  of  their  number, 
slain  that  day  in  the  woods  by  a  hostile  savage.6  "From  this 
event,"  wrote  General  Hand,  "we  have  little  reason  to  expect  a 
reconciliation  with  the  Shawanese."7  They  proved,  finally,  the 
most  unrelenting  of  foes. 

In  January,  1778,  Lieutenant-Colonel  George  Rogers  Clark, 
who  had  planned  a  secret  expedition  against  the  Illinois  country, 

1  Archibald  Lochry  to  Sup.  Ex.  Council  of  Pa.,  4  Nov.,  1777,  in  Penn.  Arch.,  V,  741. 

a  Cornstalk  commanded  the  Indians  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  10  Oct.,  1774,  and 
was  foremost  in  the  treaty  with  Lord  Dunmore  soon  after,  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto. 

'"  Two  tribes  of  the  Shawanese  declare  for  us;  two  are  against  us:1'  Hand  to  Jasper 
"■  '  IS  July.  1777,  MS.  "The  neutral  portion  are  wavering:'"  Arbuckle  to  Win. 
ling,  SM  Inly,  1777,  original  letter. 

•  Arbuckle  to  Hand,  0  Oct.,  1777,  MS. 

ie  t"  same,  7  Nov.,  1777.  IIS. 

•  Affidavit  of  Jno.  Anderson  and  others,  10  Nov..  17^7.  MS.  Hand  to  Geo.  Morgan,  34 
1'  >     US  :  also  to   the  continental  board  of  war  of  same  date,  MS.     The  militia 

of  those  Intended  for  Hand's  expedition  against  Sandusky. 

•  JI'""J  U)  U  .1.0  board  of  war,  •„'!  Dec,  1777,  MS.,  just  cited. 


Introduction.  15 


then  in  possession  of  England,  arrived  in  the  western  depart- 
ment to  enlist  soldiers  for  the  enterprise.  By  the  end  of  the 
month,  he  had  all  his  recruiting  parties  properly  disposed,  and 
at  Redstone-old-fort,1  he  prepared  boats,  light  artillery  and 
ammunition.  Many  of  the  backwoodsmen  opposed  the  under- 
taking; and  he  only  succeeded  in  collecting,  with  some  aid  east 
of  the  mountains,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  when,  on 
the  twelfth  of  May,  he  "set  sail  for  the  falls"  of  the  Ohio, 
"leaving  the  country,"  he  wrote,  "in  great  confusion  —  much 
distressed  by  the  Indians."  "  General  Hand,"  he  added,  "  pleased 
with  my  intentions,  furnished  me  with  every  necessary  I  want- 
ed." 2  He  was  re-enforced  on  his  way  down  the  river  by  a  small 
number  of  troops  at  Fort  Randolph.  His  men  were  mostly 
Virginians,  and  all  were  in  the  Virginia  service.  The  result  of 
the  campaign  was,  the  reduction  of  the  British  posts  between 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  —  Kaskaskia,  St.  Phillips,  Ca- 
hokia,  Prairie  dn  Rocher,  and  Vincennes; —  a^  conquest,  as  it 
proved,  of  great  importance  to  the  United  States,  reflecting  also 
much  credit  upon  Virginia.  The  commander  of  the  expedi- 
tion won  for  himself  the  title  of  "The  Heroic." 

In  February,  1778,  General  Hand,  having  previously  received 
intelligence  that  a  quantity  of  stores  was  lodged  by  the  British 
at  an  Indian  town  on  the  Cuyahoga  river,3  formed  a  project  for 
capturing  them.4  Gathering  a  party  of  about  five  hundred 
men  at  Fort  Pitt,  mostly  from  Westmoreland  county, 5  he  pro- 
ceeded on  the  expedition.  But  heavy  rains  falling,  and  the 
snows  of  winter  melting,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  design, 
after  having  arrived  at  a  point  a  considerable  distance  above  the 
mouth  of  Beaver,  on  the  Mahoning  river.6  Just  at  this  place, 
Indian  tracks  were  discovered,  conjectured  to  be  of  warriors  on 
a  marauding  expedition  into  the  settlements.     These  were  fol- 

1  Now  Brownsville,  Fayette  count}',  Pennsylvania. 

2  Clark  to  Geo.  Mason,  19  Nov.,  1779,  in  Clark's  Campaign  in  the  Illinois  (Cincinnati : 
■Robert  Clarke  &  Co.,  1869),  p.  25. 

3  This  stream  flows  into  Lake  Erie  at  the  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

4  Hand  to  Wm.  Crawford,  28  Dec,  1777,  and  5  Feb.,  1778,  in  The  Washington-Crawford 
Letters  (Cincinnati:  Robert  Clarke  &  Co.,  1877),  pp.  66,  67. 

5  That  is  to  say,  from  the  territory  acknowledged  to  be  Westmoreland  county  by  Vir- 
ginia, at  that  date.  Gen.  Hand,  in  his  correspondence,  recognized  residents  of  the  ter- 
ritory claimed  by  Virginia,  as  Virginians. 

8  The  point  reached  was  in  the  present  Mahoning  county,  Ohio. 


10  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

lowed  to  a  camp,  ''supposed  to  contain  between  fifty  and  sixty 
Indians."  which  was  immediately  attacked;  "but,  to  my  great 
mortification,"  wrote  the  commander,  "only  one  man.  with  some 
women  and  children,  was  found."  The  Indian  and  one  of  the 
Bquaws  were  killed.  "Another  woman  was  taken,''  adds  the 
chagrined  and  thoroughly  disgusted  general,  "and  with  diffi- 
culty saved;  the  remainder  escaped.''1  The  prisoner  reported 
that  ten  Bionsey  Indians  —  Delawares  —  were  making  salt  about 
ten  miles  further  up  the  Mahoning.2  A  detachment  was  sent 
to  secure  them.  This  enterprise  proved  even  more  inglorious 
than  the  first.  The  enemy  "turned  out  to  be  four  women  and 
a  boy."  wrote  Hand,  "of  whom  one  woman  only  was  saved." 
"In  performing  these  great  exploits,"  are  the  felicitious  words 
of  the  commander,  "  I  had  but  one  man  —  a  captain — wounded, 
and  one  (\\^  >wned." 3  This,  the  first  expedition  in  force  to  march 
into  the  Indian  country  from  Pittsburgh  after  the  war  began, 
was  long  remembered  in  the  west  as  "the  squaw  campaign." 

At  the  very  time,  in  1777,  when  the  hostility  of  the  Wyan- 
dots  could  no  longer  be  a  matter  of  doubt  upon  the  border, 
news  was  brought  across  the  Ohio  by  friendly  Indians,  of  the 
suspicious  conduct  of  some  of  the  resident  Americans  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt;  especially  of  Alexander  McKee,who  had 
formerly  been  deputy  Indian  agent  at  Pittsburgh,  and  had,  as 
early  as  in  April,  L776,  been  put  upon  his  parol  by  a  commit- 
tee of  whigs  at  Pittsburgh,  not  to  give  any  "aid  or  comfort'' 
to  the  British.4  "  He  must  be  an  enemy  to  the  United  States," 
wrote  Arbuckle,  from  Point  Pleasant,  "  for  the  grenadier  squaw3 
and  her  friends,  who  are  now  at  this  garrison,  say  that  he  has 
engaged  his  Indian  friends  to  carry  off  his  effects  to  their 
towns;  which  being  accomplished,  he  would  then  make  his  es- 
cape to  I  Detroit."6     Well  had  it  been  for  the  western  country  if 

>  Band  to  Yeatea,  1  Man  h.  1778,  MS. 

aTliU  was  in  whal  la  now  Trumbull  county,  Ohio. 

'Hand  to  Yeates,  7  March,  1778,  ,\is..  jn>t  cited.  The  substance  of  this  commnnica- 
tion  i-  reiti  '■■  a.  Hand  In  a  letter  t<>  Maj.-Gen.  dates,  same  date.    Hand's  suc- 

irl  I'in  apologized  for  this  raid  upon  the  Delawares,  to  Capt.  Pipe,  principal 
war-chief  of  I hal  tribe. 

•  Amcr   Arch.,  lib  Series,  Vol.  V.  pp.  B16-820,  1092.    The  Olden  Time  Vol.  II,  p.  104. 

•  Th<  -'|iia\v  was  a  slater  of  Cornstalk,  the  Shawauese  chief. 
•Arbuckle  to  Hand,  20  July,  1777,  MS. 


Introduction.  17 


this  arch-traitor  had  been  at  once  secured.  As  it  was,  he  was 
suffered  to  remain  at  large,  upon  his  promise  previously  made, 
not  to  correspond  with,  or  give  any  intelligence  to,  the  ene- 
mies of  the  United  States,  or  to  leave  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  Pitt  without  permission. 

During  the  summer  of  1777,  many  persons  were  arrested  on 
suspicion  of  tory  proclivities  in  western  Pennsylvania  and  north- 
western Virginia.  Among  them  were  some  prominent  men  at 
Pittsburgh,  including  George  Morgan.  Even  General  Hand  was 
suspected,  so  distrustful  had  western  patriots  become.  Mor- 
gan was  triumphantly  acquitted.  Mclvee,  after  being  confined 
to  his  own  house,  was  paroled  anew.  Hand,  afterward,  ordered 
him  to  report  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  to  the  continental  board 
of  war;  but,  feigning  sickness,  he  remained  at  Pittsburgh.1 

By  the  first  of  March,  1778,  the  excitement  against  the  to- 
nes, in  the  west,  had  to  a  great  degree  subsided.  On  the  twenty  - 
eighth  of  that  month  all  this  was  changed;  for,  on  that  day, 
not  only  McKee,  but  Matthew  Elliott,  who  had  lately  arrived 
from  Quebec,  claiming  to  be  a  prisoner  returned  on  parol,  but, 
in  reality,  having  a  captain's  commission  from  the  British  in 
his  pocket,  and  Simon  Girty,  an  Indian  interpreter, —  fled  from 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt  to  the  enemy.2  These  three  renegades3 
afterward  proved  themselves  active  servants  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment, bringing  untold  misery  to  the  frontiers,  not  only  while 
the  revolution  continued,  but  throughout  the  Indian  war  which 
followed  that  struggle.  Their  influence  was  immediately 
exerted  to  awaken  the  war-spirit  of  the  savages.  Going  di- 
rectly to  the  Delawares,  they  came  very  near  changing  the 
neutrality  of  that  nation  to  open  hostility  against  the  United 
States;  —  frustrated,  however,  by  the  prompt  action  of  General 
Hand,  and  of  Morgan,  who  was  still  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Pitt, 

1  During  the  excitement  in  1777,  west  of  the  mountains,  caused  by  the  general  distrust, 
one  man,  supposed  to  have  been  a  leader  of  the  tories,  losi  his  life  under  suspicious  cir- 
cumstances. Many  depredations  were  also  committed  upon  the  property  of  suspected 
persons. 

2  Hand  to  Maj.-Gen  Gates,  30  March,  1778,  MS.  Same  to  Teat.es,  same  date,  MS.  Same 
to  Col.  Wm.  Crawford,  same  date,  MS.  See,  also,  Penn.  Arch.,  VI,  44.");  Heckewelder's 
Narr.,  p.  170.  Four  others  fled  to  the  enemy,  at  the  same  time,— Kobert  Surplus,  one 
Higgins,  and  two  negroes  belonging  to  McKee. 

3  "  Of  that  horrid  brood  called  refugees,  whom  the  devil  has  long  since  marked  aa  his 
own.1'—  Hugh  H.  Brackenridge,  Pittsburgh,  1782. 

2 


15  Washington-Irvine  Corresjyondence. 

and  bj  the  timely  exertions  of  the  Moravian  missionaries  upon 
ili  Tuscarawas.  Mter  leaving  the  Delawares,  these  traitors 
proceeded  westward,  inflaming  the  Shawanese  and  other  tribes 
i"  a  white  heat  of  rapacity  against  the  border  settlements, 
Thence  they  made  their  way  to  Detroit. 

The  flight  of  these  men  to  the  enemy  was  soon  followed  at 
Fort  Pitt  by  other  disturbances.  The  minds  of  some  of  the  sol- 
diers of  the  garrison  were  poisoned  by  the  wiles  of  disaffected 
persons  in  the  vicinity.  Several  of  them,1  including  a  few  citi- 
zens, on  the  night  of  the  twentieth  of  April,  stole  a  boat  and 
fled  down  the  Ohio.  Luckily  they  were  overtaken  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Muskingum  by  a  party  sent  after  them  and  the  ring- 
leaders killed  or  captured.2  Six  of  the  soldiers  and  two  citizens 
escaped.3  "  I  hope  to  see  some  of  the  captured  hanged  in  a 
few  days,"  was  the  emphatic  language  of  General  Hand.4  Two 
were  shot,  one  hanged,  and  two  whipped,  the  latter  receiving 
one  hundred  lashes  each.5 

On  the  sixteenth  of  May,  a  number  of  Wyandots,  under  the 
lead  of  the  Half  King,6  their  principal  chief,  together  with 
some  Mingoes,7  crossed  the  Ohio  river  and  assailed  Fort  Ran- 
dolph. The  savages  endeavored  to  draw  the  garrison  into  an 
ambuscade,  but  Captain  William  McKee,  who  was  then  in 
command,  having  received  intelligence  of  their  coming,  was 
too  wary  for  them.  Only  one  of  his  men  was  killed  and  one 
wounded.  The  enemy  had  three  wounded.  After  killing  or 
driving  off  all  the  stock  belonging  to  the  fort,  the  Indians, 
who,  during  the  day,  kept  up  a  scattering  fire,  but  at  too  great 

1  "A  sergeant  and  twenty  odd  men  ":  John  Proctor  to  Thomas  Wharton,  20  Apr.,  1778, 
in  Penn.  Arch.,  VI,  446. 

-Hand  to  Ma:. -Gen  Gates,  28  Apr.,  1778,  MS. 

■■>  Hand  to  his  wife,  28  Apr.,  1778,  MS. 

«lland  to  Maj.-Gen.  Gates,  14  May,  1778,  MS.     Same   to  his  wife,  15  May,  1778,  MS. 

I  n  addition  to  the  authorities  already  cited.  I  have  consulted,  in  connection  with  the 

tory  troubles  in  the  west,  during  1777  and  1778,  Zach.  Morgan  to  Hand,  20  Aug.,  1777, 

Ms . :  Thomas  Brown  to  same,  from  " Redstone  Port,"  same  date  MS.;  Hand  to  Yeates, 

16  Sept.,  1777,  MS.;  same  to  his  wife,  9  Oct.,  1777,  MS.;  same  to  continental  board  ol 
war.  !i  Nov..  1777,   MS.:  game  to  same,  21  Dec,  1777,  MS.;  same  toAlex.  McKee,  7  Feb., 

.;  Bame  to  Sampson  Mathews.  27  June.  1778,  MS.:  Report  of  Cong.  Com.,  at 
Port  Pitt,  relative  to  Goo.  Morgan,  27  March,  1778,  MS.;  Journals  of  Cong,  for  1777,  1778. 

8  Bo  called  by  the  English.  P>y  the  Wyandots,  he  was  km  wn  as  Saataregl  (Appendix 
to  Hist  West,  Penn.,  p.  144),  or  ae  Sarstarrateze  (MS.  Btatemenl  of  William  Walker); 
by  the  Delawares,  as  Pomoacan  (Heckewelder'a  Nan-.,  p.  285.  note). 

7  Their  combined  force  numbered  one  hundred:  Zeisbergcr  to  Morgan,  'J  June,  1778,  MS. 


Introduction.  19 


a  distance  either  to  do  or  receive  much  damage,  at  nightfall  re- 
tired, soon  making  their  way  up  the  Great  Kanawha  to  attack 
the  Greenbrier  settlement.1  Timely  notice  sent  by  express 
from  Fort  Randolph  fortunately  averted,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
impending  destruction.  The  enemy,  however,  assailed  one  of 
the  country  forts  —  the  most  exposed  one  —  on  the  twenty- 
ninth,  but  were  gallantly  repulsed.  It  was  guarded,  when  first 
attacked,  with  only  twenty-five  men.  The  savages  commenced 
the  assault  at  sunrise  and  continued  their  firing  until  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  relief  of  sixty-six  men  forced 
their  way  into  the  inclosure  through  the  enemy's  lines,  without 
loss.2  The  siege  continued  until  night,  when  the  savages  dis- 
appeared, after  having  seventeen  of  their  number  killed.  Of 
the  Virginians,  four  only  were  slain.3 

The  activity  displayed  by  the  British  Indians  all  along  the 
western  border,  during  the  fall  of  1777,  induced  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia  to  bestir  themselves  to  protect  their  distant  set- 
tlements. Congress,  urgently  appealed  to  by  these  suffering 
states,  determined  to  make  common  cause  with  them  against 
the  enemy.  Commissioners4  acting  under  authority  of  the 
United  States  were  sent  to  Fort  Pitt  to  inquire  into  the  dis- 
affection of  the  frontier  people,  and  to  provide  for  carrying 
the  war  into  the  enemy's  country.5     They  reported   that  the 

i  Capt.  Wm.  McKee  to  Hand,  21  June,  1778,  MS. 

2  This  force  was  under  command  of  Col.  Samuel  Lewis  and  Capt.  Arbuckle.   , 

3  Arbuckle  to  Hand,  2  June,  1778,  MS.  The  fort  attacked  was  Andrew  Donnelly's. 
Compare  Withers'  Border  Warfare,  pp.  178,  179.  The  relief  party  marched  from  a  fort 
where  is  now  located  Lewisburg,  Greenbrier  county,  West  Virginia.  The  letter  of  Ar- 
buckle, just  cited,  corrects  a  few  of  the  statements  of  Withers. 

4  Sampson  Mathews,  Geo.  Clymer,  and  Sam'l  McDowell. 

6  J6urnals  of  Cong.,  20  Nov.,  1777.    On  that  day,  congress  — 

'■'■Resolved,  That  three  commissioners  be  appointed  to  repair,  without  delay,  to 
Fort  Pitt;  that  they  be  instructed  to  investigate  the  rise,  progress,  and  exient  of  the 
disaffection  in  that  quarter,  and  take  measures  for  suppressing  the  same  and  bringing 
the  deluded  people  to  a  sense  of  their  duty;  that  the  said  commissioners  be  invested 
with  full  powers  to  suspend,  for  misconduct,  any  officers  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  employed  in  that  quarter,  and  appoint  others  in  their  room,  and  to  confine,  in 
safe  custody,  all  such  officers  against  whom  they  shall  have  satisfactory  proof  of  being 
offenders  ;i gainst  the  rights  and  liberties  of  America. 

"  [Resolved],  That  the  said  commissioners  be  directed  to  cultivate  the  friendship  ol 
the  Shawanese  and  Delawares,  and  prevent  our  people  from  committing  any  outrages 
against  them ;  that  they  be  empowered  to  engage  as  many  of  the  Delaware  and  Shawanese 
warriors  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  as  they  judge  convenient;  that  they  be  em- 
powered and  directed,  for  effectually  checking  the  progress  of  the  enemy,  to  concert  with 


*20  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

western  Indians  were  stimulated  in  their  hostility  by  the 
British  commandant1  at  Detroit,  They  drew  up  and  pre- 
sented to  General  Hand  an  elaborate  plan2  for  the  protection, 
b\  the  militia  alone,  of  the  frontiers,  until  recommendations 
made  by  them  to  congress  could  be  approved  and  carried 
into  execution.  On  the  second  of  May,  177$,  congress  re- 
solved to  raise  two  regiments  in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  to 
serve  for  one  year  unless  sooner  discharged,  for  protection  of 
the  western  frontier,  and  for  operation  thereon;  —  twelve  com- 
panies in  the  former  and  four  in  the  latter  state.  It  was  like- 
wise determined  that,  as  General  Hand  had  requested  to  be 
recalled  from  Pittsburgh,  a  proper  person  should  be  sent  to 
relieve  him.  Washington  was  called  upon  to  make  the  nomi- 
nation. After  much  consideration  upon  the  subject,  he  named 
Brigadier  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  an  officer  of  worth  and 
merit,  a  Georgian  by  birth.  "I  part  with  this  gentleman," 
wrote  the  commander-in-chief,  "with  much  reluctance."  "I 
know,"  are  his  words  from  his  camp  at  Yalley  Forge,  "his 
services  here  are,  and  will  be,  materially  wanted."  Washington 
had  a  high  estimation  of  his  fitness  for  the  position  assigned 
him:  "His  firm  disposition  and  equal  justice,  his  assiduity  and 
good  understanding,  added  to  his  being  a  stranger  to  all  parties 
in  that  quarter,  pointed  him  out  as  a  proper  person ;  and  I  trust 
extensive  advantages  will  be  derived  from  his  command,  which 
I  could  wish  was  more  agreeable.  He  will  wait  on  congress 
for  their  instructions."3  On  the  twenty-sixth,  Mcintosh  was 
notified  of  his  appointment. 


Brigadier  General  nand  a  plan  of  carrying  the  war  into  the  enemy's  country,  and  cause 
the  same  to  be  executed  with  all  convenient  dispatch." . . . 

1  Lfeut.-Gov.  Henry  Hamilton. 

a  A  copy  of  this  plan,  or  "  Agreement,"  as  it  is  called,  is  before  me.    It  has  no  date. 

»  Washington  to  congress,  12  May,  1778,  in  Sparks'  Washington,  V,  3G1. 


Introduction.  21 


CHAPTER  IT. 


AN  EXPEDITION  UNDERTAKEN  AGAINST  DETROIT  — ITS  FAIL- 
URE.    1778-1779. 

It  was  suggested  to  congress  by  the  commissioners  sent  to 
Fort  Pitt,  that  a  defensive  war  upon  the  western  border 
would  not  only  prove  an  inadequate  security  against  inroads 
of  the  savages,  but  would,  in  a  short  time,  be  more  expen- 
sive than  a  vigorous  attempt  to  force  them  to  sue  for  peace. 
Thereupon  that  body  determined  that  an  expedition  should 
be  immediately  undertaken  to  reduce,  if  practicable,  the  fort 
at  Detroit,  and  compel  the  hostile  Indians  inhabiting  the 
country  contiguous  to  the  route  between  Pittsburgh  and  that 
post,  to  cease  their  aggressions.  Three  thousand  men  —  the 
number  proposed  by  the  commissioners1 — were  to  be  engaged 
in  the  service.  Virginia  was  requested  to  call  forth  as  many 
militia,  not  exceeding  twenty-live  hundred,  as  should  be  judged 
necessary  to  complete  the  number  appropriated  for  the  under- 
taking. The  continental  board  of  war  was  directed  to  co- 
operate with  Brigadier  General  Mcintosh,  who  was  soon  to 
have  command  of  affairs  in  the  west,  in  measures  necessary 
for  the  enterprise,  and  give  him  such  instructions  as  might 
appear  best  adapted  to  promote  the  expedition.  Over  nine 
•  hundred  thousand  dollars  were  voted  to  defray  expenses,  and  a 
person  was  appointed  to  procure  provisions,  packhorses,  and 
other  necessaries  for  the  army.  To  give  effect  to  the  action  of 
congress,  a  plan  was  immediately  set  on  foot  for  raising  the  nec- 
essary force  and  for  the  purchase  of  supplies  for  the  expedition. 
Fifteen  hundred  men  were  to  march  by  way  of  the  Kanawha 
to  Fort  Randolph,  and  a  like  number,  assembling  at  Pitts- 
burgh, was  to  drop  down  the  Ohio  to  the  same  post,  whence 
all  were  to  move  into  the  enemy's  country. 

1  Hand  to  Archibald  Lochry  and  Providence  Mounts,  May  4,  1778,  MS. 


Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


Before  congress  determined  to  bagin  active  measures  against 
Detroit  and  the  hostile  savages,  Washington,  upon  receipt 
of  information  concerning  Indian  ravages  upon  the  western 
frontier,  had  ordered  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment,  a 
choice  body  of  men,  who  had  been  raised  to  the  westward  — 
one  hundred  of  them  having  been  constantly  in  Morgan's  rifle 
corps  —  to  prepare  to  march  to  Pittsburgh,  a  detachment 
having  already  been  sent  to  that  department.  At  the  head  of 
these  troops  was  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead.  Previous  to  this, 
the  men  of  the  thirteenth  Virginia1  remaining  at  Valley  Forge, 
had  been  placed  under  marching  orders  for  the  same  destina- 
tion, as  they,  too,  were  enlisted  in  the  west.  The  others, 
numbering  upwards  of  one  hundred,  were  already  "at  or  near 
Fort  Pitt."  The  command  of  this  regiment  was  given,  tem- 
porarily, to  Colonel  John  Gibson. 

The  advance  of  the  regulars  toward  Pittsburgh  commenced 
on  the  eleventh  of  June,2  but  was  interrupted  by  Indian  rav- 
ages in  the  valley  of  Wyoming.  On  the  twelfth  of  July, 
Mcintosh,  then  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  on  his  way  over  the 
mountains,  having  been  informed  of  the  depredations  of  the 
savages  to  the  northward,  sent  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  up  the 
Susquehanna,  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  enemy,  and  encour- 
age the  militia  to  stand  in  their  own  defense;  he,  soon  after- 
ward, pursued  his  journey  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  arrived 
early  in  August.3  General  Hand,  who  had  seen  considerable 
service  previous  to  his  taking  charge  of  the  western  depart- 
ment, gladly  relinquished  the  command,  —  returning  at  once 
over  the  mountains  to  more  active  duties  and  wider  fields  of 
usefulness.4  The  turning  aside  of  Colonel  Brodhead's  resri- 
ment  retarded,  of  course,  its  progress  toward  Fort  Pitt.  After 
reaching  a  point  as  far  up  the  Susquehanna  as  Muncy,  where 

1  Afterward  numbered  the  ninth,  then  the  seventh,  and,  finally,  the  fust  Virginia  regi- 
ment. 

I.  Br  dliL-ad  will  march  tomorrow  with  his  regiment:"  Washington  to  Mcin- 
tosh, Jane  10,  1778,  MS. 

neral  Mcintosh  has  at  length  arrived.    .    .     .     Day  after  to-morrow,  1  hope  to 
set  forward  to  Lancaster:"  Hand  to  his  wife,  from  Pittsburgh,  i,  Ms. 

< Hand  was  born  81  Dec.,  1744,  in  King's  county,  Ireland;   succeeded  Gen.  Stark  in 
command  at  Albany,  in  October,  1778;  was  made  adjutant-general,  in  1780;  was  a  mem- 
f  congress  in  17*1-5;  died  -i  Sept.,  1UU2,  near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 


Introduction.  '.!■'> 


he  did  good  service,  Brodhead  returned  with  his  force  to 
Carlisle.  He  resumed  his  march  toward  Pittsburgh  not  long 
afterward,  where  he  arrived  about  the  tenth  of  September.1 

As  early  as  July,  it  became  apparent  that  success,  in  an  ex- 
pedition against  Detroit,  could  not  reasonably  be  expected,  un- 
less the  force  destined  for  that  service  could  march  from  Pitts- 
burgh by  the  first  of  September,  as  had  been  suggested  by  the 
Fort  Pitt  commissioners;  that  the  necessary  supplies  could 
not,  by  any  means,  be  procured  within  the  time  limited;  and 
that  an  extraordinary  rise  in  the  price  of  some  articles  since 
the  campaign  was  first  determined  on  would  cause  the  expense 
of  the  undertaking,  even  if  practicable,  to  exceed  the  estimate 
in  an  enormous  degree.2  Congress  therefore  resolved,  that  the 
expedition,  for  the  present,  should  be  deferred.  Mcintosh 
was  directed  to  assemble  at  Pittsburgh  fifteen  hundred  conti- 
nental troops  and  militia,  and  proceed,  without  delay,  to  de- 
stroy such  towns  of  the  hostile  tribes  as  he,  in  his  discretion, 
should  think  would  most  effectually  tend  to  chastise  and  terrify 
the  savages  and  check  their  ravages  on  the  western  frontiers. 
The  Fort  Pitt  commander  was,  however,  more  ambitious.  He 
declared  "  that  nothing  less  than  Detroit  was  his  object." 
Congress  asked  Virginia  to  supply  him  with  as  many  militia 
as  he  should  call  for,  "  to  make  up  the  complement  of  men 
destined  for  an  incursion  into  the  towns  of  the  hostile  Indi- 
ans;" but  Mcintosh  kept  his  eye  on  Detroit,  notwithstanding.3 
He  was  willing  to  "defer  "  the  expedition  against  that  post; 
that  was  all.  The  scheme  of  marching  a  force  by  way  of  the 
Kanawha  to  Fort  Randolph,  to  be  joined  by  an  army  at  that 
post  moving  down  the  Ohio,  was  abandoned. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Mcintosh  in  the  western  department, 
there  were  but  two  fixed  stations,  beside  Fort  Pitt,  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  occupied  by  continental  troops.     These  two 


1  Brodhead's  MS.  orderly  book  show?  him  (Brodhead)  to  have  been  at  Ligonier  on  the 
sixth  of  September,  and  at  Fort  Pitt  on  the  twelfth,  when  it  speaks  of  his  "  late  arrival." 

2  The  estimate,  by  the  commissioners  at  Pittsburgh,  for  the  expedition,  was  $609,538. 

J"The  regular  troops  and  new  levies  were  equal  to  such  an  undertaking  [an  ex- 
cursion into  the  Indian  country],  but  General  Mcintosh's  views  were  much  more  exten- 
sive ...  he  was  determined  to  take  Detroit.'1  —  Brodhead  to  Maj.-Gen.  Greene,  26 
May,  1770,  in  Penn.  Arch.,  XII,  118. 


2}f.  Wdshington-Irvim    ( 'orrt  spondence. 

were  Fort  Randolph  and  Fort  Hand.1  There  were,  however, 
thirty  or  forty  other  smaller  stations,  or  forts,  at  different  times 
garrisoned  by  militia;  some  between  Wheeling  and  Pitts- 
burgh; others  upon  the  waters  of  the  Monongahela  and  the 
Kiskiminetas ;  and  not  a  few  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  settle- 
ments;— "  which  were  frequently  altered,  kept,  or  evacuated, 
according  to  the  humors,  fears,  or  interest,  of  the  people  of 
most  influence."  General  Hand  had  been  obliged  to  yield  to 
this,  as  his  chief  dependence  was  upon  militia.  These  forts, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  they  were  very  expensive  and  would 
be  of  little  service  now  that  the  war  was  to  be  carried  into  the 
enemy's  country,  Mcintosh  resolved  to  break  up  as  soon  as  he 
could,  without  giving  too  much  offense  to  the  people,  whose 
assistance  he  so  much  required. 

That  the  frontiers  might  not  be  wholly  deprived  of  means 
for  defense  while  the  army  marched  into  the  Indian  country, 
the  lieutenants  of  Monongalia  and  Ohio  counties,  Virginia,2 
were  authorized  to  raise  a  ranging  company  jointly,  to  scout 
continually  along  the  Ohio  river  "  from  Beaver  creek  down- 
wards," where  the  savages  usually  crossed  to  annoy  the  settle- 
ments. Archibald  Lochry,  lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  was  empowered  to  organize  two  such  com- 
panies, to  scour  the  frontiers  on  the  north,  as  a  protection  from 
scalping  parties  of  the  northern  Indians.  Independent  com- 
panies had  been  raised  for  the  sole  purpose  of  maintaining 
Fort  Pitt,  Fort  Hand,  and  Fort  Randolph,  as  these  posts  were 
expected  soon  to  be  evacuated  by  their  garrisons. 

Mcintosh  had  not  been  long  in  the  west  when  he  discovered 
that  a  number  of  store-houses  for  provisions,  which  had  been 
built  at  public  expense,  were  at  great  distances  apart,  difficult 


1  Fort  Hand,  erected  in  the  spring  of  1778,  and  named  in  honor  of  Brlg.-Qen.  Hand, 
1  in  Westmoreland  county, about  fourteen  miles  north  of  Hannaatown.  "About 
a  mile  south  of  the  ford  of  the  Kiskiminetas;  and  ihe  ford  was  about  six  miles  above  tin 
month  of  the  stream:"  MS.  Statement  of  Samuel  Murphy,  1816. 

•  Three  counties  -Tohoganta,  Monongalia,  and  Ohio  were  formed  by  Virginia  in  M76, 
out  of  tip-  district  of  West  Augusta,  the  latter  having  previously  beeu  set  offirom  Au- 
ta county.  Yohogania included — so  Virginia  claimed  — a  considerable  portion  of 
what  U  now  Bouthvi  estorn  Pennsylvania.  To  the  south  of  this,  down  tin'  Ohio  river,  w  a 
Ohio  county.  Eastward  of  Ohio  county,  lying  upon  the  waters  of  the  Monongahela  and 
its  branches,  was  the  county  of  Monongalia.  Tin'  lieutenant  of  Monongalia  county  was 
Col.  John  Evans;  of  Ohio  county,  Col.  David  Shepherd. 


Introduction. 


of  access,  and  scattered  throughout  the  border  counties.  At 
each  of  these,  a  number  of  men  was  required.  These  build- 
ings were  given  up,  as  the  provisions  in  them  intended  for  the 
expedition  proved  to  be  spoiled.  In  place  of  them,  one  gen- 
eral store-house  was  built  by  a  fatigue  party,  "  in  the  fork  of 
the  Monongahela  river,"  where  all  loads  from  over  the  moun- 
tains could  be  discharged,  without  crossing  any  considerable 
branch  of  any  river. 

The  commissioners  at  Fort  Pitt  proposed  to  congress  that  a 
treaty  be  held  on  the  twenty-third  of  July,  at  Pittsburgh,  with 
the  Delawares,  Shawanese,  and  other  Indians.  Congress  ap- 
proved the  suggestion,  and  resolved  that  three  persons  should 
be  appointed  to  negotiate  with  the  savages.  Virginia  was  re- 
quested to  send  two  and  Pennsylvania  one  commissioner  for 
that  purpose.  Messengers  carrying  presents  had  already  been 
dispatched  to  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese,  with  invitations 
to  attend  the  conference.1  Two  Virginians,2  representing  the 
United  States,  repaired  to  Fort  Pitt,  but  Pennsylvania  neglected 
to  send  a  representative.3  This  caused  some  disappointment. 
From  the  wilderness  across  the  Ohio,  no  Indians  came  but 
Delawares,  as  a  large  majority  of  the  Shawanese  were  now 
openly  hostile  to  the  United  States.  The  former  tribe  was 
represented  by  their  three  principal  chiefs.4  It  was  Septem- 
ber before  the  parties  met  for  consultation;  and  a  treaty  was 
not  finally  signed  until  the  seventeenth  of  that  month.5  By 
its  terms,  not  only  were  the  Delawares  made  close  allies  of  the 
United  States  and  "the  hatchet  put  into  their  hands," — thus 
changing,  and  wisely  too,  the  neutral  policy  previously  acted 
upon,  — but  consent  was  obtained  for  marching  an  army  across 
their  territory.6  They  stipulated  to  join  the  troops  of  the 
general  government  with  such  a  number  of  their  best  and  most 

1  The  messenger  sent  to  the  Shawanese  was  James  Girty ;  but,  like  his  brother  Simon, 
he  was  induced  to  desert  the  cause  of  his  country.    He  remained  with  the  Indians. 

2  Andrew  and  Thomas  Lewis. 

3  George  Morgan  solicited  the  appointment,  but  none  was  made. 

4  White  Eyes,  Captain  Pipe,  and  John  Killbuclc,  Jun. 

5  This  treaty  has  been  several  times  published. 

"The  territory  of  the  Delaware?,  as  claimed  by  them  at  that  date,  was  bounded  on  the 
east  by  French  creek,  the  Alleghany,  and  the  Ohio,  —  as  far  down  the  last  mentioned 
stream  as  llockhocking,  at  least;  on  the  west,  by  the  Hockhocking  and  the  Sandusky. 
They  even  advanced  claims  to  the  whole  of  the  Shawanese  country. 


£6  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

expert  warriors  as  they  could  spare,  consistent  with  their  own 
safety.  A  requisition  for  two  captains  and  sixty  braves  was 
afterward  made  upon  the  nation  by  the  American  commander. 

Mcintosh  now  opened  a  road  to  the  Beaver.  There,  just  be- 
low its  mouth,  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio,1  he  built,  by 
fatigue  of  the  whole  line,  a  post  with  barracks  and  stores, 
where  loads  could  be  carried,  either  by  land  or  water;  and 
where,  should  there  be  a  failure  of  sufficient  troops  and  sup- 
plies to  carry  forward  the  expedition  during  the  autumn,  a 
footing,  at  least,  would  be  secured,  considerably  advanced  to- 
ward the  enemy's  country.  This  would  enable  the  commander 
to  be  better  prepared  for  another  attempt  in  the  spring,  and 
show  the  foe,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  was  in  earnest  in  his 
progressive  movements.2  The  post  was  called  Fort  Mcintosh, 
in  honor  of  its  projector.  It  was  built  under  the  immediate 
supervision  of  a  competent  engineer.3  It  was  furnished  with 
bastions  and  protected  by  artillery.  It  was  a  "  good,  strong 
fort,"  —  the  first  military  post  of  the  United  States  erected 
upon  the  Indian  side  of  the  Ohio.4 

As  early  as  the  eighth  of  October,  the  headquarters  of  the 
army  were  removed  from  Fort  Pitt  to  the  new  fort,5  where  a 
considerable  force  —  the  largest  collected  west  of  the  Allegha- 
nies  during  the  revolution  —  was  assembled,  consisting,  be- 
side the  continental  troops,  of  militia,  mostly  from  the  western 
counties  of  Virginia.6  But  the  want  of  necessary  supplies 
prevented  any  immediate  forward  movement.  On  the  third 
day  of   November,  cattle   from   over  the   mountains  arrived. 


1  At  the  site  of  what  is  now  the  borough  of  Beaver,  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania. 
'Such  were  the  reasons  given  by  Mcintosh  himself,  to  Washington,  for  the  erection 
di'  iIm-  poet. 
3  Le  Chev'r  de  Cambray. 

•  Fori  Mcintosh  was  "a  regular  stockaded  work,  with  four  bastions,  and  defended  by 
six  pieces  of  artillery."  It  waa  bnilt  of  hewn  logs;  its  flgnrewasan  Irregular  square,  the 
race  t'>  the  river  being  longer  than  the  side  to  the  land.  It  was  about  equal  to  a  square 
of  fifty  yards :  was  well  built,  and  Btrong  againal  musketry,  although  the  opposite  side 
of  tin-  rl  Hided  it  entirely,  and  artillery  placed  there  could  have  reduced  It 

»  Orderly  book  of  Mcintosh,  1778,  SIS. 

•  Mcintosh's  entire  force  was  about  thirteen  hundred.  The  militia  numbered  "al  least 
one  thousand."  Brodhead  to  Maj. -Gen.  Greene,  28  May,  1779,  previously  cited.  They 
were  mostly  from  what  was  then  Berkeley,  Frederick,  Rockingham,  Augusta,  Botetourt, 

nla,  Monongalia,  and  Ohio  counties,  Virginia.    MS.  Memoranda  of  Fram 
luvy.     Mcintosh's  orderly  book,  177K,  MS.     Jour.  Va.  Ex.  Council,  July.  1778,  MS. 


Introduction. 


but  they  were  extremely  poor,  and  could  not  be  slaughtered 
for  want  of  salt.1 

Alarming  intelligence  now  reached  Mcintosh  from  the  wil- 
derness west.    He  was  reproached  for  his  tardiness  by  friendly 
Indians,  who  threatened  that  all  their  nations  would  unite  in 
the  Tuscarawas  valley  to  give  him  battle,  and  oppose  his  pro- 
gress to  Detroit.     Orders  were,  therefore,  immediately  issued 
for  twelve  hundred  men  to  get  ready  to  march.     On  the  fifth 
of  November,  the  movement  of  the  army  westward  commenced, 
including  the  whole  force,  except  one  company,  which  was  left 
under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Richard  Campbell,  of 
the  thirteenth  Virginia  regiment,  to  bring  on  the  "long-looked 
for  supplies."2  For  fourteen  days,  the  march  continued  before 
the  Tuscarawas  was  reached,3  a  distance  of  only  about  seventy 
miles  from  Fort  Mcintosh.     This  slow  progress  was  caused 
by  the  "horses  and  cattle  tiring  every  four  or  five  miles."     It 
was  upon  this  river,  where  the  army  had  now  encamped,  that 
the  commander  anticipated  meeting  the  enemy;  but  only  a  few 
Delawares    from    Coshocton,   and   some    Moravian    Indians4 
were  found,  and  they  were  friendly.     The  gathering  of  the 
savages  to  impede  his  march,  he  was  told,  had  been  abandoned.5 
At  this  juncture,  Mcintosh  was  informed  that  the  necessary 
supplies  for  the  winter  had  not  reached  Fort  Mcintosh,  and 
that  very  little  could  be  expected.     He  was  thus  disappointed 
in  all  his  "flattering  prospects  and  schemes  "  against  Detroit. 
There  was  now  no  other  alternative  but  to  return  as  he  came, 
without  effecting  any  valuable  purpose,  thereby  confirming 

1  Salt  sold  in  Pittsburgh,  at  that  date,  at  twenty  dollars  a  bushel. 

'Mcintosh  to  Washington,  27  Apr  ,  1779,  in  Sparks'  Corr.  Amer.  Rev.,  vol.  II,  p.  284. 
Jacob  White's  pension  statement,  1833,  MS.  copy.  Dunlavy's  pension  statement,  MS. 
copy,  previously  cited.    Mcintosh's  orderly  book,- 1778,  MS. 

3  That  is  to  say,  there  were  fourteen  marching  days.  The  army  did  not  make  its  camp 
upon  the  Tuscarawas  until  November  21st:  Mcintosh's  orderly  book,  1778,  MS.  Mcin- 
tosh, in  his  letter  to  Washington,  of  27  Apr.,  1779,  just  cited,  says:  "  We  were  fourteen 
days  upon  our  inarch."  The  route  was  the  same  as  the  one  followed  by  Colonel  Henry 
Bouquet,  on  his  march  against  western  Indians  in  1704.  For  a  description  of  the  course 
taken  by  that  officer,  consult  Bouquet's  Expedition  against  the  Ohio  Indians,  Philadel- 
phia printed,  London  reprinted,  1766,  pp.  11-13;  or,  Robert  Clarke  &  Co.'s  reprint,  Cin- 
cinnati, 1868,  pp.  46-51. 

«  The  Moravian  Indians  (themselves  mostly  Delawares)  were  of  those  gathered  in  the 
valley  of  the  Tuscarawas,  by  Moravian  missionaries. 

5  That  the  enemy  seriously  contemplated  meeting  Mcintosh  in  the  valley  of  the  Tus- 
carawas, there  is  no  evidence. 


2S  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

the  savages  in  the  opinion  already  formed  of  the  weakness  of 
the  Americans,  and  combining  them  all  more  completely  with 
the  British, — or,  to  build  a  strong  stockade  fort  upon  the  Tus- 
carawas and  leave  as  many  men  as  provisions  would  justify, 
to  secure  it  until  the  next  season,  to  serve  as  a  bridle  upon  the 
Indians  in  their  own  country.1  The  commander,  with  the 
unanimous  approbation  of  his  principal  officers,  chose  the  lat- 
ter alternative;  and  a  post  was  commenced  where  there  had 
been  one  formerly,2  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  below  the 
mouth  of  Sandy  creek,3 — the  whole  army  being  employed  upon 
it  while  provisions  lasted;  not,  however,  without  some  trou- 
ble, as  the  militia  whose  homes  were  west  of  the  mountains, 
were  in  a  mutinous  condition.  The  fortification  was  a  regu- 
larly laid  out  work,  inclosing  less  than  an  acre  of  ground,  and 
was  named  Fort  Laurens,  in  honor  of  the  president  of  con- 
gress. It  was  the  first  military  post  of  the  government  erected 
upon  any  portion  of  the  territory  now  constituting  the  state 
of  Ohio.  Leaving  a  garrison  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
with  scanty  supplies,  under  command  of  Colonel  John  Gibson, 
to  finish  and  protect  the  work,  Mcintosh,  with  the  rest  of  his 
army,  returned,  very  short  ol  provisions,4  to  Fort  Mcintosh, 
where  the  militia  under  his  command  were  discharged  "pre- 
cipitately." 5 

Wellington  soon  after,  in  ignorance  of  Mcintosh's  move- 
ments beyond  the  mountains,  declared  that  the  latter  ought  to 
decide  finally,  if  he  had  not  ajready  done  so,  whether  he  could. 

1  Such  were  the  reasons  given  by  McTntosh  to  Washington,  sometime  afterward,  for 
building  Fort  Laurens.    "I  am  the  more  particular  in  giving  my  reasons,"1  said  he,  "for 

building  Fort  Lanrene,  as , ,  and  their  dependents,  for  want  of  other  matter,  have 

cried  it  down,  as  a  designed  slaughter-pen,  impossible  to  maintain;  and  endeavored  to 
prejudice  the  whole  country  against  it,  although  the  Cornier  laid  the  plan  that  was  after- 
wards adopted  for  taking  and  keeping  Detroit."— Mcintosh  to  Washington,  27  April, 
1T7(",  previously  cited. 

»  Compare  Bouquet's  Expedition,  London  reprint,  p.  13,  or  Cincinnati  reprint,  pp.  61, 
52,  as  to  the  erection  of  a  fort  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas,  in  1764,  by  Col. 
bouquet.    The  fortification  commenced  hy  Mcintosh  was  close  by  the  site  of  Bouquet's. 

3  A  short  distance  south  of  the  present  village  of  Bolivar,  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio. 

♦  "On  our  march  in,  we  were  obliged  to  eal  beef-hides,  which  had  been  left  to  dry; 
they  were  ttrst  roasted:"  Statement  of  Stephen  Burkham,  1845,  MS.  "Thirty-six  dry 
hides  were  cut  up  and  roasted  in  one  nighl :  "  Ellis'  Recollections,  I84B,  MS. 

Mcintosh  to  Washington,  li  Jan..  1779,  Ms.  Mem.  oi  Francis  Dunlavy,  Ms.  The 
army  left  Fort  Laurens  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  Dec,  arriving  at  Fort  Mcintosh  the 
18th. 


Introduction.  *29 


with  the  force,  provisions,  stores,  prospect  of  supplies,  and 
means  of  transportation,  which  lie  then  had,  advance  to  De- 
troit; and  whether  the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  a  winter 
expedition  preponderated.  The  return  of  the  Fort  Pitt  com- 
mander to  the  Ohio  river  was  an  emphatic  decision,  already 
given,  in  opposition  to  a  winter  campaign  against  that  post. 

Mcintosh  now  made  such  disposition  of  his  continental 
troops  and  independent  companies  for  the  winter  as,  in  his 
judgment,  would  protect  the  horder,  and  facilitate  future  oper- 
ations. The  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment  was  assigned  to 
Fort  Pitt.  The  men  left  in  Fort  Laurens  were  a  part  of  the 
thirteenth  Virginia.  The  residue,  with  the  independent  com- 
panies, were  divided  between  Fort  Mcintosh,  Fort  Henry, 
Fort  Randolph,  and  Fort  Hand;  with  a  few  at  inferior  sta- 
tions. There  was  not  one  of  the  militia  retained  under  pay  at 
either  of  these  posts. 

After  the  main  army  left  Fort  Laurens,  the  work  upon  that 
post  was  continued.  "  I  have  already  finished  setting  up  the 
pickets,"  wrote  the  officer  in  charge,  toward  the  latter  part  of 
December,  "and,  in  a  few  days,  I  think  I  can  bid  defiance  to 
the  enemy."  "The  distressed  situation  of  the  men,"  he  con- 
tinued, "prevents  the  work  from  going  on  as  briskly  as  it 
otherwise  would."  In  the  meantime,  he  had  opened  negotia- 
tions with  the  friendly  Delawares  at  Coshocton  for  the  pur- 
chase of  some  cattle.  "  With  these,"  he  added,  "  I  am  in  hopes 
we  shall  have  beef  enough,  and  that  we  shall  have  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  flour  until  a  farther  supply  can  be  sent  us."  l 

The  disappearance  into  the  Indian  country  from  Fort  Pitt 
and  vicinity,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1778,  of  McKee  and 
other  tories,  added  greatly  to  the  terror  in  the  border  settle- 
ments naturally  inspired  by  the  knowledge  of  the  hostile  atti- 
tude of  the  western  savages.  "  What  may  be  the  fate  of  this 
county,"  is  the  language  of  a  resident  of  Westmoreland,  in 
the  latter  part  of  April,  "  God  only  knows ;  but,  at  present,  it 
wears  a  most  dismal  aspect."  On  the  twenty-eighth,  a  settle- 
ment "at  and  about  Wallace's  fort,"  in  that  county,  was  at- 


>  Col.  John  Gibson  to  Mcintosh,  from  Fort  Laurens,  21  Dec,  1778,  MS 


30  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

ticked,  and  twenty  men  who  were  out  reconnoiterino-  the 
"wood-,  had  nine  killed  and  their  captain  wounded.  Four  of 
the  enemy  were  killed.  By  the  middle  of  May,  the  northern 
road  leading  over  the  mountains  from  Pittsburgh  had  become 
the  frontier  line  in  that  direction.  A  captain,  who,  with  nine 
men,  chiefly  continental  soldiers,  was  bringing  grain  from  the 
neighborhood  to  Fort  Hand,  was,  on  the  seventh  of  July,  sur- 
prised by  a  party  of  savages.  The  officer 1  and  seven  of  his 
command  were  killed.  There  were,  also,  frequent  incursions 
of  scalping  parties  across  the  Ohio,  at  different  points  below 
Wheeling,  notwithstanding  the  progress  of  the  American  army 
westward  of  that  river.  These  were  continued  until  late  in  the 
autumn.  From  Fort  Henry  to  Fort  Randolph,  there  were  few, 
if  any,  obstacles  presented  to  this  advance  of  the  foe  into  the 
settlements  lying  on  the  east  and  west  forks  of  the  Monongahela 
and  their  branches.  Suddenly  would  the  savages  make  their 
appearance,  frequently  where  least  expected;  then  followed  the 
bloody  work  of  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife;  and,  as  sud- 
denly as  they  came,  would  the  murderers  disappear. 

While  Mcintosh  was  at  Fort  Laurens,  he  ordered  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  militia  from  "Westmoreland  county,  to  march  as 
secretly  as  possible  to  "  the  forks  of  the  Alleghany  river, "  and 
endeavor  to  destroy  some  Indians  settled  on  French  creek,  who 
were  the  perpetrators  of  much  of  the  mischief  done  in  the 
northern  settlements.  The  men  reached  a  point  within  "  ten 
miles  of  the  savages,  when  they  returned,"  declared  Mcintosh, 
"  without  seeing  the  face  of  a  single  Indian."  2  "  We  pro- 
ceeded on  to  French  creek,"  is  the  subsequent  language  of  the 
officer  having  chief  command  of  the  expedition,  "where  we 
found  the  Indian  town  evacuated."  "  I  then  went  on  further 
than  my  orders  called  for,"  he  adds,  '*  in  quest  of  Indians; 
but  our  provisions  being  nearly  exhausted,  we  were  obliged 
to  return."3 

1  'apt.  Miller,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment. 

-i  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  n  Jan.,  1779,  MS.,  previously  cited. 

3  This  was  the  first  expedition  in  force  to  the  northward  from  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt, 

daring  the  war.     It  was  commanded  by  Col.  James  Smith.    Fortius  officer's  account  of 

the  march,  Bee  hie   N'arr.  <  Lexington,  Ky.,  1790),  p.  75,  or  Robert   Clarke  A:  Co.'s  reprint 

Innati,  1870),  p.  135-137.    Mention  of  the  "French  creek  expedition,"  as  it  was 

called,  is  to  be  found  in  Col.  IUx.  of  Pa.,  XIV,  662. 


Introduction.  31 


More  than  half  the  month  of  January,  177!),  wore  away 
without  anything  of  importance  occurring  to  the  westward 
of  Pittsburgh,  when  Samuel  Sample,  an  assistant  quartermas- 
ter, sent  by  Colonel  Gibson  from  Fort  Laurens  to  Coshocton, 
for  corn  and  other  articles,  had  one  man  killed,1  and  another 
desperately  wounded,2  by  treacherous  Delawares.3  Toward  the 
close  of  the  month,  Captain  John  Clark,  of  the  eighth  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment,  who  had  commanded  an  escort  of  provisions  to 
Gibson,  was,  on  his  return,  with  a  sergeant  and  fourteen  men, 
when  only  about  three  miles  distant  from  the  fort,  attacked  by 
seventeen  Indians,  chiefly  Mingoes,  led  by  Simon  Girty,  the 
renegade  from  Pittsburgh,  who,  immediately  after  his  arrival 
at  Detroit,  was  employed  in  the  Indian  department  as  inter- 
preter, and  sent  back  to  the  savages.  The  Americans  suf- 
fered a  loss  of  two  killed,  four  wounded,  and  one  taken  pris- 
oner. The  remainder,  including  the  captain,  fought  their  way 
back  to  the  fort.  Letters  written  by  the  commander  of  the  post, 
and  containing  valuable  information,  were  captured  by  Girty.4 
Mcintosh,  upon  receipt  of  this  intelligence,  endeavored  to  send 
supplies  to  the  garrison  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Muskingum 
rivers,  but  the  attempt  proved  abortive.5  By  the  middle 
of  February,  provisions  began  to  grow  scarce.  The  com- 
mander sent  word  to  Mcintosh  at  Fort  Pitt,  informing  him  of 
the  state  of  affairs, concluding  with  these  brave  words:  "  You 
may  depend  on  my  defending  the  fort  to  the  last  extremity." 

On  the  twenty-third,  a  wagoner  was  sent  out  of  Fort  Laurens 
for  flie  horses  belonging  to  the  post,  to  draw  wood.  With  him 
went  a  guard  of  eighteen  men.  The  party  were  fired  upon  by 
lurking  savages  and  all  killed  and  scalped  in  sight  of  the  fort, 

'John  Nash,  of  the  thirteenth  Virginia  regiment;  killed  Jan.  22d. 

8  Peter  Parchment,  of  the  same  regiment  as  Nash;  wounded  on  the  27th  of  the  same 
month;   he  finally  recovered. 

3  Gibson  to  Mcintosh,  from  Fort  Laurens,  13  Feb.,  1779,  MS. 

4  Capt.  John  Killbuck  to  Gibson,  3)  Jan.,  1779,  original  letter,  neckewelder  to  same, 
8  Feb.,  1779,    original  letter.    Mcintosh  to  Lochry,  29  Jan.,  1779,  in  Penn.  Arch.,  VII,  173. 

5  "I  am  now  happily  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  Maj.  Taylor  here,  who  returned  with 
one  hundred  men  and  two  hundred  kegs  of  flour.  He  was  six  days  going  up  the  Mus- 
kingum river  about  twenty  miles,  the  waters  were  so  high  and  stream  so  rapid;  and  as 
he  had  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  more  to  go,  he  judged  it  impossible  to  re- 
lieve Col.  Gibson  in  time,  and  therefore  returned,  having  lost  two  of  his  men  sent  to 
fiank  him  upon  the  shore,  who  were  killed  and  scalped  by  some  warriors  coming  down 
the  Muskingum  river:  "    Mcintosh  to  Washington,  from  Fort  Pitt,  12  March,  1779,  MS. 


Wash  iagton-Irvine  Correspondence. 


except  two,  who  were  made  prisoners.1  The  post  was  imme- 
diately thereafter  invested  by  the  Indians  —  mostly  Wyandots 
and  Mingoes  —  in  force.2  They  continued  the  Biege  until  the 
garrison  was  reduced  to  the  verge  of  starvation;  a  quarter  of 
a  pound  of  sour  flour  and  an  equal  weight  of  spoiled  meat 
constituting  a  daily  ration.  The  assailants,  however,  were 
finally  compelled  to  return  home,  as  their  supplies  had  also  be- 
come exhausted. 

Before  the  enemy  left,  a  soldier  managed  to  steal  through 
their  lines,  reaching  Mcintosh  on  the  third  of  March,  with  a 
message  from  Colonel  Gibson  informing  him  of  his  critical 
situation.3  The  Fort  Pitt  commander  immediately  made  ex- 
ertions to  set  on  foot  an  expedition  for  his  relief.  In  the  event 
of  not  meeting  the  foe  upon  the  Tuscarawas,  Mcintosh  planned, 
in  his  own  mind,  to  march  before  his  return,  against  Sandusky 
and  destroy  the  Wyandot  towns;  "  and  if  we  could  not  get 
any  supplies  there,"  are  his  words,  "  proceed  farther."  4  On 
the  nineteenth  of  March,  with  about  two  hundred  militia 
quickly  raised  from  the  counties  west  of  the  mountains,  and 
over  three  hundred  continental  troops  from  Fort  Mcintosh 
and  Fort  Pitt,  he  left  the  former  post  upon  his  second  march 
to  the  Tuscarawas;5  arriving  there  in  four  days,6  to  find  the 
siege  of  Fort  Laurens  abandoned  and  the  savages  gone.  A 
salute,  fired  by  the  garrison  upon  the  arrival  of  the  relief  in 
sight  of  the  post,  frightened  the  packhorses,  causing  them  to 
break  loose,  scattering  the  supplies  in  the  woods  and  resulting 


1  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  12  March,  1779,  MS.,  just  cited.  Brodhead  to  same,  21 
March.  ITT!',  MS. 

2  "The  attacking  party  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  eighty :"  llildreth's  Pion.  Hist., 
p.  138.  "Near  three  hundred:"  Qeckewelder  to  Mcintosh,  IS  March,  1779,  MS.  Hildreth 
is  I'm-  better  authority  in  this  matter.  lie  cites  Geo.  Morgan,  who  got  his  information 
from  the  Delaware  chiefs.  'J  lie  cunning  foe,  it  seems,  by  stratagem,  made  their  number 
80  appear,  that  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven  were  counted  from  one  of  the  bastions  of 
the  fort 

3 -'A  messenger  came  to  me  the  third  of  March,  instant,  who  slipped  out  of  Fort 
Laurens  on  the  night  of  Sunday,  the  twenty-eighth  <>f  February,  by  whom  Col.  Oibson 
would  not  venture  to  write:  "     Mcintosh  to  Washington.  UJ  Mar.,  177:1,  previously  cited. 

*  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  :>  Apr.,  1779.  MB. 

■  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  19  March.  1779,  MS.  Orderly  book  of  Mcintosh,  1779,  MS. 
Col.  Brodhead  was  left  in  command  of  Fort  Mcintosh. 

'Mcintosh  to  Washington,  :i  Apr.,  1779,  MS.,  previously  citvd.  Mcintosh's  orderly 
book,  MS. 


Introduction.  33 


in  the  loss  of  a  number  of  the  horses  and  of  some  of  the  pro- 
visions. 

The  men  in  the  fort  were  found  in  a  most  deplorable  con- 
dition. For  nearly  a  week,  they  had  subsisted  on  raw  hides 
and  such  roots  as  they  could  find  in  the  vicinity  after  the 
Indians  had  gone.  Mcintosh  called  a  council  of  war  and  laid 
before  the  officers  assembled  his  planfor  marching  against  the 
Wyandots  and  striking  a  blow  at  their  towns  on  the  Sandusky. 
But  the  project  was  unanimously  opposed;  as  the  ground,  so 
early  in  the  season,  was  very  wet,  and  there  was  a  scanty 
supply  of  forage  for  their  horses  and  less  than  two  weeks' 
provisions  for  the  whole  army.  So  the  matter  was  dropped.1 
Leaving  one  hundred  and  six  men,  rank  and  file,  of  the  eighth 
Pennsylvania  regiment,  under  command  of  Major  Frederick 
Vernon,  to  garrison  the  post,  and  a  supply  of  food  for  less 
than  two  months,  he  returned  with  the  residue  of  his  force  to 
Fort  Mcintosh,  reaching  there  after  a  march  of  six  days. 

In  April,  1779,  Mcintosh,  dispirited  and  with  health  im- 
paired, retired  from  the  command  of  the  western  department, — 
his  request,  previously  made  to  congress  for  that  purpose, 
having  been  granted.2  He  soon  repaired  to  Washington's 
headquarters.3  This  was  the  abandonment  by  the  general 
government,  for  the  time,  of  offensive  measures  in  the  west. 
Something  had  been  gained  by  the  forward  movement  from 
Fort  Pitt,  although  at  the  expense  of  a  number  of  lives  and 
much  treasure.  The  attention  of  the  savages  had,  to  some  ex- 
tent, been  diverted  from  the  border,  and  the  anxiety  at  Detroit 
considerably  increased.  In  the  management  of  affairs  in  the 
western  department  not  immediately  connected  with  aggressive 


1  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  3  Apr.  (just  cited)  and  3  May,  1779,  MS.  letters. 

2  "Whereas  Brigadier  [General]  Mcintosh,  commanding  a  detachment  of  the  army  at 
Fort  Pitt,  hath  requested  leave  to  retire  from  that  command, 

"Resolved,  That  the  commander-in-chief  be  directed  to  appoint  a  proper  officer  to 
succeed  to  the  said  command;  and  that  Brigadier-General  Mcintosh,  on  being  relieved, 
repair  to  the  main  army,  or  to  such  post  as  shall  be  assigned  to  him  by  the  commander- 
in-chief."— Journals  of  Cong.,  20  Feb.,  177!). 

3  He  was  in  Philadelphia  as  early  as  the  twenty-fourth  of  April:  Penn.  Arch.,  VII, 
342.  His  letter  written  to  Washington  on  the  twenty-seventh  was  dated  in  '•Camp," 
which  Sparks  (Corr.  Amer.  Rev.,  II,  2S4)  erroneously  supposed  meant  Pittsburgh.  Be- 
side, the  context  clearly  indicates  that  he  was  writing  east  of  the  mountains:  "When 
I  first  went  there  [west  of  the  mountains],  I  found,"  etc. 


3Jj.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

movements  beyond  the  Ohio,  Mcintosh  had  exercised  good 
judgment.  He  had  carefully  avoided  interfering  with  the 
troublesome  boundary  question,  although  often  applied  to  by 
both  sides;  as  it  was  wholly  out  of  his  power  to  remedy  the 
evil.  lie  had  preserved  eordial  relations  with  the  several 
county  lieutenants  and  had  been  active  am1  vigilant  in  pro- 
tecting the  exposed  settlements.  The  erection  of  Forts  Mc- 
intosh and  Laurens  as  a  precautionary  measure  was  approved 
by  the  commander-in-chief.  "The  establishing  of  posts  of 
communication,"  he  wrote,  "  which  Mcintosh  has  done  for 
the  security  of  his  convoys  and  the  army,  is  a  proceeding 
grounded  on  military  practice  and  experience."  Congress 
having  directed  the  appointment  of  a  successor  to  the  retiring 
officer,  Washington,  on  the  fifth  of  March,  made  choice  of 
Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment, who  was  then  first  in  rank,  in  the  western  department, 
under  General  Mcintosh.1 

1  Mcintosh  was  born  near  Inverness,  Scotland,  17  March,  1723.  His  father's  family, 
himself  included,  came  with  General  Oglethorpe  to  Georgia,  in  173C.  He  became  colonel 
of  the  first  Georgia  regiment  in  the  early  part  of  the  revolution  ;  was  soon  made  a  brig- 
adier-general; killed  Button  Gwinnett,  a  signer  of  the  declaration  of  independence,  in 
a  duel,  in  1777:  was  captured  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  May  V\  1780;  became  a 
member  of  congress,  in  1784;  an  Indian  commissioner,  in  1783;  died  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  20  Feb.,  1806. 


Introduction.  35 


CHAPTER  V. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  WESTERN  BORDER  WAR.    1779-1781. 

While  in  charge  of  Fort  Mcintosh,  Brodhead  was  notified 
of  his  appointment  to  the  command  of  the  western  depart- 
ment, in  a  complimentary  letter  from  the  commander-in-chief. 
Said  Washington:  "  From  my  opinion  of  your  abilities,  your 
former  acquaintance  with  the  back  country,  and  the  knowl- 
edge you  must  have  acquired  upon  this  last  tour  of  duty.  I 
have  appointed  you  to  the  command."  l  It  was  a  selection 
gratifying  to  Pennsylvania,  as  the  colonel  was  a  citizen  of 
that  state.  The  whole  force  turned  over  to  him  by  Mcintosh, 
including  continental  and  independent  troops,  consisted  of 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-two  men,  stationed  at  Fort  Laurens 
and  Fort  Mcintosh,  Fort  Henry  and  Fort  Randolph,  Fort 
Hand  and  Fort  Pitt.  At  the  last  mentioned  post,  Brodhead 
soon  established  his  headquarters.2  A  few  other  stations  were 
garrisoned  with  small  detachments. 

The  wanton  ravages  and  murders  by  Indians  of  the  Six 
Nations,  the  year  previous,  in  the  exposed  settlements  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  particularly  at  Wyoming  and 
Cherry  Valley,  determined  Washington  to  send  a  formidable 
expedition  against  them.  Four  thousand  men  were  to  pene- 
trate their  country  from  the  waters  of  the  Susquehanna;  while 
five  hundred  from  Pittsburgh,  byway  of  the  Alleghany,"  were 
to  cooperate  as  circumstances  might  permit.  Brodhead  re- 
ceived, from  the  commander-in-chief,  explicit  orders  concern- 
ing the  movement  from  Fort  Pitt.  These  directions  were 
given  careful  thought.  "The  strictest  attention,"  was  his 
assurance  to  Washington,  "  shall  ever  be  paid  to  all  the  in- 

1  Washington  to  Brodhead,  5  Mar.,  1779,  MS.  Compare  Patterson's  Hist.  Backwoods, 
p.  234. 

2  Orders  from  Pittsburgh  were  issued  by  him  as  early  as  April  13th:  MS.  Instructions  — 
Brodhead  to  Lieut.  Lawrence  Harrison,  of  the  13th  [9th]  Va.  Iteg't.  This  regiment 
had  been  recently  numbered  the  9th,  a  fact  then  unknown  at  Pittsburgh. 


Washington   Irvine  Oorrespofidence. 


structiona  your  excellency  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  pleased 
to- give  me."  "I  shall  l>e  happy,"  said  he,  previously,  "  if 
we  caD  move  by  the  first  of  June."  But  the  idea  of  coopera- 
tion from  Pittsburgh  with  the  other  forces  marching  against 

the  New  York  Indians,  was  soon  abandoned.     The  uncertainty 

of  timing  it  well,  and  a  want  of  sufficient  information  of  the 

country  through  which  Brodhead  would  have  to  pass,  together 

with   the  difficulty  of   providing  supplies  in   time,  and  the 

removal  of  troops,  which  would  uncover  the  region  around 

Fort  Pitt,  thereby  giving  confidence  to  the  western  savages, 

already   too   much   inclined   to   hostility,   were  the  principal 

inducements  prompting  the  commander-in-chief  to  lay  aside 

all  thoughts  of  aid  from  the  western  department.     But  the 

expedition  against  the  hostile  portion  of  the  Indians  of  the 

Six  Nations  was  not  abandoned. 

In  his  instructions  to  Brodhead,  mention  was  made,  by 

Washington,  of  the  boundary  troubles  in  the  west.     "  There 

is  one  point,"  are  his  words,  "  upon  which  I  will  take  the 

liberty  of  dropping  you  a  caution,  though  perhaps  it  may 

have  already  struck  you,  which  is,  the  policy  and  propriety 

of  not  interesting  yourself  in  the  dispute  subsisting  between 

the  states  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  on  account  of  their 

boundaries."     The  advice  of  Washington  was  not  lost  upon 

Brodhead.     lie  turned   his  thoughts  to    the  protection   and 

wants  of   the  whole  trans- Alleghany  region,  irrespective  of 

boundary  lines.     "His  excellency,  the  commander-in-chief," 

he  wrote,  on  the  fifteenth  of  April,  "  has  now  honored   me 

with  the  command  of  the  western  department,  and  my  whole 

attention  shall  not  be  wanting  to  strike  terror  in  our  enemy 

and  secure  the  settlements  in  this  fertile  country." 

The  condition  of   Fort  Laurens  early  engaged  the  attention 

of  Brodhead.     Major  Vernon,  at  that  post,  experienced,  from 

the  commencement  of  his  charge,  many  hardships.     Scarcely 

had  the  command  been  turned  over  to  him  when  small  parties 

of  savages  began   to  make   their  appearance  in  the  vicinity. 

He  soon  had  two  men  killed,  out  of  a  party  of  forty  who  were 

outside  the  fort  gathering  fire-wood.1  The  throwing  of  supplies 

■  Vernon  to  Itclnt  sh,  from  Fort  Laurens,  23  March,  1~7'.»,  MS.    Same  to  Brodhead, 


Introduction.  37 


into  the  post  was  attended  with  much  difficulty  and  expense, 
and  its  evacuation  seemed  desirable.  But  "it  is  to  be  pre- 
served," wrote  Washington,  "if,  under  a  full  consideration  of 
circumstances,  it  is  judged  a  post  of  importance,  and  can  be 
maintained  without  running  too  great  a  risk."  The  com- 
mander-in-chief was  apprehensive  its  abandonment  would  give 
great  encouragement  to  the  savages  about  Detroit, —  which  was 
his  reason  for  holding  it;  not  on  account  of  any  opinion  of  its 
usefulness  as  a  protection  to  the  border.  Brodhead  found 
"that  the  state  of  provisions  there"  was  by  no  means  what 
he  had  supposed  it  to  be.1  The  language  of  Vernon,  in  a 
letter  from  the  fort,  dated  the  twenty-ninth  of  April  was  ex- 
pressive and  startling:  "Should  you  not  send  us  provisions 
in  a  very  short  time,  necessity  will  oblige  us  to  begin  on  some 
cow-hides  the  Indians  left." 

"I  am  just  now  fitting  out  one  hundred  and  fifty  men," 
wrote  Brodhead,  on  the  fourth  of  May,  "  to  escort  a  small 
quantity  of  supplies  to  Fort  Laurens."  "Indeed,"  was  his 
earnest  declaration,  in  addition,  "  I  cannot  send  a  larger  party; 
as  the  Indians  are  at  present  very  troublesome  on  the  northern 
frontiers  of  Westmoreland,  and  a  large  party  would  consume 
all  the  salt. provisions  on  the  march;  as  for  fresh  ones,  I  have 
none."2  But  the  greatest  part  of  the  garrison,  by  the  middle 
of  the  month,  had  to  be  sent  in,  or  they  would  have  perished 
by  starvation,  as  no  relief  had  arrived.  Major  Vernon  held 
the  post  ten  days  longer  with  only  twenty-five  men,  living 
on  herbs,  salt,  and  cow-hides,  when  supplies  from  Fort  Pitt, 
escorted  by  a  party  of  regulars,  who  marched  by  a  new  route,3 
reached  the  fort. 

same  date,  MS.    The  attack  was  made  in  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  these  letters 
were  written.    Ensign  John  Clark  was  one  of  the  killed. 
«  Brodhead  to  Lochry,  23  Apr.,  1779,  MS. 

2  Brodhead  to  Washington,  MS.  letter. 

3  The  relief  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Robert  Beall,  of  the  13th  [Oth]  Va.  Reg't. 
They  dropped  down  the  Ohio  to  an  old,  deserted  Mingo  town,  at  the  mouth  of  Cross  creek, 
just  below  the  present  Steubenville,  Ohio;  marching  thence  to  Port  Laurens.— Brodhead 
to  Beall:  MS.  Instructions.  Same  to  Maj.  Vernon,  at  Fort  Laurens,  14  May,  1779,  MS. 
Same  to  Lieut.  John  Hardin,  of  the  8th  Pa.  Reg1!,  same  date,  MS.  The  detachment  was 
detained  for  a  time,  at  Fort  Mcintosh,  "while  the  garrison  at  Fort  Laurens  were  starv- 
ing:" Brodhead  to  Capt.  John  Clark,  June  6th,  1779,  MS.  This  new  route  to  Fort 
Laurens  was  not  again  used,—"  the  old  Tuscarawas  path  "  being  taken  in  subsequent 
marches  to  and  from  that  post. 


38  ~Washin<jton-lrvine  Correspondence. 

At  this  time,  the  garrison  were  so  much  reduced  for  want  of 
provisions  that  they  were  scarcely  able  to  stand  on  their  feet. 
"  I  dare  say,"  are  the  words  of  Brodhead  to  the  Fort  Laurens 
commander,  on  the  thirtieth,  "  you  took  good  care  not  to  suffer 
your  starved  men  to  eat  too  much  at  a  time,  after  the  supplies 
arrived,  and  that  the  whisky  added  to  their  relief."  Past  the 
middle  of  June,  the  post  was  relieved  by  seventy-five  men, 
well  supplied  with  provisions,  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Campbell.1  Yernon  returned  to  Fort  Pitt,  but  his 
detachment  was  left  at  Fort  Mcintosh.2  After  being  once 
more  seriously  threatened  by  the  Indians  in  force,  Fort 
Laurens,  early  in  August,  was  evacuated;  orders  to  that  effect 
having  been  previously  sent  by  Colonel  Brodhead,3  that  the 
garrison  stationed  there  might  be  added  to  troops  already  col- 
lected at  Pittsburgh  for  a  contemplated  expedition  against 
the  northern  Indians.  Before  the  soldiers  left,  two  of  their 
number  were  killed  by  lurking  savages  within  sight  of  the 
post.  As  the  fort  might  again  be  occupied,  Colonel  Campbell 
was  enjoined  not  to  destroy  it.  It  was  never  after  garrisoned. 
It  remained  intact  during  the  war,  but  was  subsequently 
demolished. 

Turning  our  eyes  from  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Ohio,  to 
the  northern  settlements  of  Westmoreland,  we  see  that,  as  early 
as  the  twenty-sixth  of  February,  1770,  Indian  depredations 
began  therein.  On  that  day,  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Pitts- 
burgh, on  the  main  road  leading  over  the  mountains,  eighteen 
persons — men,  women,  and  children  — were  either  killed  or 
taken  prisoners.4  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  first 
care  of  Brodhead,  after  assuming  command  in  the  west,  was,  to 
protect  the  northern  frontier.     His  first  order5  directed  a  de- 


1  Brodhead  to  Campbell,    MS.  Instructions,  14  June,  1779.     Same  to  Vernon,  samo 
date,  MS.  Instructions.    Same  to  Campbell,  16  Jane,  1779,  MS  letter. 

8  Brodhead'u  orderly  book,  1770,  MS.     Zeisbcrger  to  Campbell,  at  Fort  Laurens  (no 
date),  MS. 
■  The  flrst  order  to  leave  was  issued  by  Brodhead  on  the  16th  July:  Brodhead  to 
In-i ructions.    This  informed  the  commander  that  the  post  was  to  bo 
■  I  a-  Boon  as  horses  could  bo  sent  to  brinj;  in  the  stores;  subsequent  orders 
■  g  and  Imperative. 
*  Mcintosh  to  Washington,  l-  Mar.,  1779,  MS.,  before  cited. 

n.  Lawrence  Harrison,  18th  [9th]  Va.  Heg't,  18  Apr,,  17V9,  MS.,  pro- 
died. 


Introduction.  39 


tachment  from  Fort  Pitt  to  occupy  the  vacant  Fort  Crawford, 
located  a  few  miles  up  the  Alleghany.1  The  soldiers  were  in- 
structed to  scout  on  the  waters  of  that  river,  as  well  as  on 
Puckety  creek,  and  upon  theKiskiminetas  as  far  as  Fort  Hand, 
thereby  to  protect,  as  much  as  possible,  from  the  death-dealing 
savages  of  the  north,  the  exposed  settlements  to  the  eastward 
of  Pittsburgh.  General  Washington,  with  "a  full  sense  of 
the  importance,  necessity,  and  duty,  of  taking  the  most  vigor- 
ous and  speedy  measures  for  the  support  and  protection  of  the 
frontiers,"  decided  to  order  to  the  westward  Colonel  Moses 
Rawlings'  corps  of  three  companies  from  Fort  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, to  assist  in  protecting  the  exposed  settlements,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  to  promote  the  cooperation  of  troops  from  Fort 
Pitt  with  the  army  to  be  sent  against  Indians  of  the  Six 
Nations,  by  erecting  posts  at  Kittanning  and  Venango.  Al- 
though the  plan  for  the  movement  of  a  force  from  Pittsburgh 
was  soon  laid  aside  and  the  building  of  the  two  forts  aban- 
doned, the  march  of  the  Maryland  corps  was  not  counter- 
manded. 

Pursuant  to  a  resolution  of  congress,  Pennsylvania  deter- 
mined to  raise  five  companies  of  rangers  for  service  to  the 
westward.  Militia,  also,  were  ordered  "  to  march  with  all 
possible  expedition"  from  the  eastward,  "for  the  immediate 
protection  of  the  counties  of  Bedford  and  Westmoreland." 

"  The  Indians  seem  to  have  taken  quarters  in  Westmore- 
land," Brodliead  wrote,  on  the  fourteenth  of  April,  "  but  they 
lost  one  of  their  scalps  yesterday."'2  On  the  twenty-sixth, 
Fort  Hand  was  attacked  by  a  considerable  force  of  the  enemy.3 
It  was  defended  by  Captain  Samuel  Moorhead,  commanding 
his  independent  company,  then  numbering  only  seventeen 
men  inside  the  fortification.  The  post  was  assailed  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  continual  firing  kept  up  until 

1  Fort  Crawford  stood  a  little  way  above  the  mouth  of  Puckety  creek,  on  the  Fort  Pitt 
side  of  the  Alleghany.  Compare  Penn.  Arch.,  second  series,  Vol.  IV,  p.  701.  It  was  in 
what  is  now  Burrell  township,  Westmoreland  county,  near  the  line  of  the  Alleghany 
Valley  railroad. 

-  MS.  Instructions:  Brodhead  to  Lieut.  Gabriel  Peterson,  of  the  8th  Pa.  lteg't. 

3  "Supposed  to  be  not  less  than  one  hundred:  "  M  orhead  to  Brodhead,  27  Apr.,  177!), 
IMS.  "  Capt.  Moorhead  thinks  there  were  about  one  hundred:  "  Brodhead  to  Lochry,  :;u 
Apr.,  177*>,  MS. 


JfO  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

nearl y  in  id-day  of  the  twenty-seventh,  when  the  foe  retired. 
The  garrison  had  none  killed.  Three  were  wounded — •one 
soon  died.  There  were  a  few  women  in  the  fort,  who  busily 
employed  themselves  during  the  attack  in  running  bullets  for 
their  brave  defenders.  A  company  of  forty  men  marched 
from  Pittsburgh  to  intercept  the  enemy,1  but  the  attempt 
proved  a  failure.  On  the  same  day  of  the  appearance  of  the 
savages  ;iround  Fort  Hand,  the  Indians  attacked  the  settlement 
at  Ligonier,  killing  one  man  and  taking  two  prisoners. 

'"The  savages,"  wrote  a  resident  of  Westmoreland,  on  the 
first  day  of  May,  "  are  continually  making  depredations  among 
us;  not  less  than  forty  people  have  been  killed,  wounded,  or 
captured,  this  spring."  The  arrival  of  Rawlings'  corps  before 
the  close  of  the  month  gave  some  confidence  to  the  inhabitants, 
who  had  already  fallen  upon  a  mode  of  self -protection,  by 
raising  two  companies  of  rangers,  under  the  authority  pre- 
viously given  Colonel  Lochry  by  General  Mcintosh.  A  re- 
enforcement  of  militia  from  Cumberland  county,  also,  reached 
Westmoreland,  giving  additional  security  to  the  frontier.  The 
company  raised  for  the  purpose  of  defending  Fort  Randolph, 
but  employed  elsewhere,  was,  in  the  fall  of  1778,  ordered  by 
Mcintosh  to  garrison  that  post.  "When  Brodhead  assumed 
command  of  the  western  department,  he  found  this  force  re- 
duced to  twenty-nine  men.  So  small  a  number  at  so  great  a 
distance  from  inhabitants,  could  answer  no  salutary  purpose. 
The  post  was,  therefore,  ordered  evacuated,2  the  men  reaching 
Pittsburgh  with  the  stores,  in  safety,  about  the  first  of  June. 
As  soon  as  the  fort  was  abandoned,  it  was  burned  by  the  Indi- 
ans. Fort  Henry  now  marked  the  southern  line  of  defense  in 
the  western  department. 

A  threatened  attack  by  rangers  and  savages  from  Canada, 
induced  Brodhead  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  in  the  direction  of 
Venango  and  the  Indian  towns  far  up  the  Alleghany.  Scouts 
were  frequently  sent  "  to  reconnoiter  the  Seneca  country."  A 
j. arty  from  Fort  Pitt,  of  twenty  white  men  and  a  young  Del- 
ahead  to  Lieut.  B.  X.-illy,  Btn  Pa.  Reg't,  80  Apr.,  1779,  MS. 
■  MS.  Instructions:  Brodhead  to  "  Capt.  [Sam  |  Dawson,  of  the  8th  Pa.  Beg't,  or  the 
commanding  officer  [Capt.  O'Harra]  at  Kanawha,"  14  Apr.,  1T7U.  Same  to  Capt.  Daw- 
eon,  23d  of  same  month,  MS. 


Introduction.  J/.1 


aware  chief,  "all  well  painted,"  and  commanded  by  Captain 
Samuel  Brady,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania,  while  upon  a  mis- 
sion of  that  nature,  "fell  in  with  seven  Indians,"  not  many 
miles  above  Kittanning.  These  savages  had  penetrated  across 
the  northern  border,  upon  a  marauding  expedition.  They  had 
killed  a  soldier  between  Fort  Crawford  and  Fort  Hand,  and  a 
woman  and  four  children  in  one  of  the  settlements;  they  had 
also  taken  two  children  prisoners.1  The  Indians  were  at- 
tacked by  Brady  and  his  band,  their  captain  killed,  their  plun- 
der re-taken,  and  the  two  prisoners  rescued.  It  was  the  opin- 
ion of  Brodhead  that  a  garrison,  respectable  in  size,  stationed 
at  Kittanning,  would  afford  better  protection  against  these  at- 
tacks by  the  northern  savages,  than  many  little  forts  scattered 
through  the  settlements.  One  hundred  and  twenty  continen- 
tals, rank  and  file,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Stephen  Bayard,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania,  were,  therefore, 
ordered  from  Fort  Pitt,  on  the  sixteenth  of  June,  to  erect  a 
stockade,  similar  to  Fort  Crawford,  at  that  place.2  The  post 
was  soon  completed,  and,  in  honor  of  one  of  the  revolutionary 
generals,3  was  named  Fort  Armstrong. 

Although  the  line  of  defense  on  the  north  reached  from  Fort 
Ligonier  to  Fort  Armstrong,  including  Fort  Hand,  Fort  Craw- 
ford, and  a  number  of  smaller  stockades,  yet  it  required 
the  watchful  care  and  continued  effort  of  Brodhead  to  protect 
the  settlements  of  Westmoreland.  "The  Indians  sometimes 
take  a  scalp  from  us,"  he  wrote  on  the  sixth  of  August,  "  but 
my  light  parties,  which  I  dress  and  paint  like  savages,  have 
retaliated  in  several  instances."  This  petty  defensive  war- 
fare was  now  to  be  followed  by  offensive  operations  of  con- 
siderable magnitude  on  part  of  the  Fort  Pitt  comman- 
der. "I  have  told  his  excellency,  the  commander-in-chief," 
are  his  words,  "  that  I  can  more  effectually  protect  the  set- 
tlements with  one  thousand  men  acting  offensively,  than  with 
three  times  that  number  on  a  defensive   plan."      The  con- 

1  Brother  and  sister,  children  of  a  Mr.  Henry. 

-  Brodhead  to  Bayard:  MS.  Instructions. 

3  Maj. -Gen.  John  Armstrong,  then  of  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania.  During  the  old  French 
war,  he  led  an  expedition  against  what  was  then  the  Indian  town  of  Kitt  inning,  (the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  that  name),  which  proved  successful. 


]$  Washinffforir-Irvme  Correspondence. 

stunt  inroads  of  the  northern  Indians  induced  him  to  continue 
his  appeals  to  Washington,  for  the  privilege  of  Leading  a  force 
from  Fort  Pitt  into  their  country.  ""With  great  pleasure," 
he  wrote,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  June,  "lean  now  inform  your 
excellency,  that  I  have  upwards  of  four  hundred  head  of  beef 
cattle,  and  near  a  thousand  kegs  of  flour,  with  which,  had  I 
your  permission,  I  conceive  I  could  make  a  successful  expedi- 
tion against  the  Senecas."  He  also  informed  the  chief  execu- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  that  he  had  a  considerable  quantity  of 
provisions;  and  he  declared  with  confidence,  that  he  "  could 
make  a  succeesful  campaign  up  the  Alleghany;"  "but,"  said 
he,  "  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  do  it."  However,  the  consent  of 
the  commander-in-chief  was  finally  obtained,  and  immediate 
preparations  began;  for  the  terms  of  service  of  more  than  two 
hundred  of  his  best  men  would  expire  before  the  middle  of 
August,  and  it  was  just  between  harvest  and  seeding  time 
when  a  number  of  volunteers  from  the  country  might  reason- 
ably be  expected;  beside,  should  the  expedition  be  delayed, 
Indian  corn  would  be  ripe,  and  could  be  carried  off  by  the 
enemy;  this,  the  commander  hoped  to  prevent.  Brodhead 
was  willing  and  anxious  to  cooperate  with  Major- General  John 
Sullivan,  who  was  now  in  command  of  the  expedition  against 
Indians  of  the  Six  Xations,  but  he  feared  it  would  be  imprac- 
ticable. 

The  friendly  Delawares  were  solicited  to  join  the  army  at 
Fort  Pitt  with  as  many  of  their  braves  as  could  be  spared. 
The  small  posts  of  the  department,  garrisoned  by  continental 
or  provincial  troops,  were  ordered  evacuated,  that  their  com- 
uiandB  might  be  rendered  available  for  the  enterprise.  As 
many  Boldiere  as  could  well  be  spared  from  the  largj  ones  were 
directed  to  march  to  Pittsburgh  for  the  same  purpose.  The 
provincial  companies  in  Westmoreland  were  called  in.  Exer- 
tions were  made  to  induce  volunteering.  Militia  from  the 
neighborhood  were  ordered  to  Fort  Pitt.  By  the  eleventh  of 
August,  Bix  hundred  and  live,  rank  and  tile,  with  a  number  of 
1 1  slawares,  were  c  >llected.  The  force' began  its  march  that  day 
under  the  lead  of  Brodhead,  with  Colonel  (ribsoa  second  in 
command.     Tin-  army,  having  one  month's  Bupplies,  advanced 


Introduction.  J^3 


up  the  Alleghany,  —  the  provisions,  except  live  cattle,  being 
transported  by  water,  under  an  escort  of  one  hundred  men,  — 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Mahoning,  above  Kittanning. 

The  stores  were  now  loaded  on  packhorses,  and  the  troops 
continued  their  march  up  the  river.  An  advance  party  of 
fifteen  light  infantry  and  eight  Delawares,  under  command  of 
Lieutenant  John  Hardin,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment, 
fell  in  with  thirty  or  forty  warriors,  coming  down  the  Alle- 
ghany, in  seven  canoes.  A  sharp  contest  ensued.  The  enemy 
were  defeated,  the  savages  losing  five  of  their  number  killed 
and  several  wounded.  All  their  canoes,  with  their  contents, 
were  captured.  Three  men  of  the  Americans  were  slightly 
wounded;  also,  one  of  the  Delawares. 

Brodhead  proceeded  up  the  river  as  far  as  the  Indian  village 
of  Buckaloons,1  its  inhabitants  fleeing  upon  his  approach.  The 
army  threw  up  a  breastwork  of  trees  not  far  away,2  and  a 
garrison  of  forty  men  was  left  to  guard  provisions.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  force  marched  up  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Conewango,  near  which  was  the  deserted  village  of  that  name.3 
The  troops  then  moved  up  the  latter  stream  to  within  about 
four  miles  of  the  present  state  boundary  line,  where  several 
towns  were  found,  just  vacated.  "  On  my  return,"  wrote 
Brodhead,  "  I  preferred  the  Venango  road."  A  village,  twenty 
miles  up  French  creek  from  its  mouth,  was  visited.  Every  In- 
dian town  seen  by  the  army  during  the  expedition  was  burned. 
Many  acres  of  corn  were  laid  waste,  and  a  valuable  booty  se- 
cured.4    The  army  reached  Pittsburgh  the  fourteenth  of  Sep- 

1  On  the  flats  south  of  the  Brokenstraw,  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania.  Called 
Kachuiodagon,  in  1749:  O.  H.  Marshall,  in  Mag.  of  Amer.  Hist.,  Vol.  II,  p.  139. 

2  "  On  a  bluff,  on  the  Alleghany  river,  half  a  mile  above  the  Brokenstraw." — Dr.  Wm. 
A.  Irvine  to  the  writer. 

1  Now  Warren,  Warren  county,  Penn.  This  was  a  Seneca  village  as  early,  at  least,  as 
1749:  O.  H.  Marshall.    It  was  called  Kanauagon  (Conewango.) 

*  The  Olden  Time,  II,  309;  Penn.  Arch.,  XII,  155,  105;  N.  Y.  Gaz.,  1  Nov.,  1779;  N. 
H.  Gaz.,  2  Nov.,  same  year;  Turner's  Hist.  Holland  Purchase  (N.  Y.),  p.  GDI;  Sparks' 
Washington,  VI,  384;  Young's  Hist.  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  pp.  50,51;  Dunlavy'a 
pension  statement,  1832,  already  cited.  A  letter  from  Brig.-Gen.  Wm.  Irvine  to  Wa>hing- 
ton,  2  May,  1752  (Irvine  to  Washington  of  that  date,  post),  throws  light  upon  the  expo 
dition.  I  have  also  before  me,  MS.  statements  of  Blacksnakc,  Capt.  Decker  and  Charles 
O'Bail,  1850,  giving  the  Seneca  traditions  of  the  campaign.  These  locate  the  place 
•where  Lieut.  Hardin  had  his  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  "at  or  near  an  island,  three  or 
four  miles  below  Brokenstraw."  As  to  the  expedition  generally,  see  also,  Mag.  Amer. 
Hist,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  619-873. 


Jh'{,  Washington-Irvine   Correspondence. 

tember,  without  the  lose  of  a  man.1  Brodhead,  althongh  un- 
able to  join  his  force  with  the  army  of  General  Sullivan, 
received  the  thanks  of  Washington  and  congress,  for  his  suc- 
C  issful  enterprise.2 

Notwithstanding  the  failure  of  Mcintosh,  in  his  endeavors 
beyond  the  Ohio,  the  commander-in-chief  continued  to  keep 
an  eve  to  the  westward.  "Try  to  ascertain,"  he  early  wrote 
Brodhead,  "  the  most  favorable  season  for  an  enterprise  against 
Detroit."  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  Fort  Pitt 
commander  returned  from  his  expedition  to  the  northward 
filled  with  enthusiasm  for  an  immediate  undertaking  to  cap- 
ture that  post; — he  was  in  hopes,  also,  of  punishing  the  Shaw- 
anese  on  his  way.  Before  the  end  of  September,  he  wrote: 
"  I  have  applied,  sometime  past,  for  leave  to  make  an  expedi- 
tion against  Detroit,  but  fear  it  will  again  be  put  oft' until  the 
season  is  too  far  advanced."  By  the  first  of  October,  he  became 
despondent:  "  It  is  uncertain  whether  I  shall  have  leave  to 
make  another  expedition.  I  can  only  say  that  if  I  do  not,  it 
will  not  be  owing  to  the  want  of  a  most  anxious  inclination  on 
my  part."  But  the  orders  of  Washington  previously  given 
were,  to  act  on  the  defensive  only,  until  further  instructions. 

In  June,  1778,  David  Rogers,  who,  on  the  fourteenth  of 
January  preceding,  had  been  selected  by  Virginia  to  proceed 
to  New  Orleans  to  purchase  supplies  for  the  use  of  the  troops 
of  that  state,  raised  a  party  of  about  thirty  men  in  the  region 
of  what  is  now  Brownsville,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and, 
in  keel-boats,  floated  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.  He  did 
not  reach  New  Orleans  until  after  considerable  trouble  and 
delay.  When  he  arrived,  he  found  he  would  have  to  re- 
turn to  St.  Louis,  to  obtain  the  goods,  for  which  he  was  given 

1  "  Upon  the  retura  march,  a  young  man  named  John  Ward  was  badly  injured  by  his 
horse  falling  on  a  rock,  in  a  creek.  This  accident  occurred  in  what  is  now  Butler  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  where  there  is  a  township  and  post  office,  called'  Slippery  Kock.1 "  — 
Dunlavy. 

a  '•  A'  olvt  ■'.  Thai  Hi"  thanks  of  congress  be  given  to  his  excellency,  General  Washing- 
ton, for  directing,  and  to  Colonel  Brodhead  and  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  under  his 
command,  tor  e  cei  nting,  the  Important  expedition  against  the  Mingo  and  Monsey  Indi- 
ans and  that  part  of  the  Senecas  on  the  Uleghany  river,  by  which  the  depredations  of 
id  by  their  merciless  instigators,  subjects  of  the  king  of  Qreat 
in,  upon  the  ss  inhabitants  of  the  western  frontiers,  have  been  restrained 

and  prevented."  —Journals  of  Cong.,  '.!7  Oct  ,  1779. 


Introduction.  Jr~> 


an  order.  From  the  latter  place,  in  the  autumn  of  1779,  he 
made  his  way  up  the  Ohio  to  the  falls,  where  he  was  re- 
enforced.  Early  in  October,  with  about  seventy  men,  he  con- 
tinued up  the  river  to  a  point  abpve  the  mouth  of  the  Licking, 
but  below  that  of  the  Little  Miami,  when  he  discovered  Indians. 
Rodgers  made  a  disposition  of  his  force  upon  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  Ohio  to  'surprise  the  enemy,  but  was  himself  at- 
tacked and  the  larger  portion  of  his  men  killed  or  taken 
prisoners.  Forty  bales  of  dry  goods,  a  quantity  of  rum  and 
fusees,  together  with  "a  chest  of  hard  specie,"  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands.       Rogers  was  killed.1 

As  the  fall  of  this  year  wore  away,  the  anxiety  on  the  part 
of  Brodhead  for  a  campaign  against  Detroit  was  not  lessened. 
"Winter  expeditions,"  he  reasoned,  "  are  generally  attended 
with  great  loss  of  horses  and  cattle,  except  where  large  maga- 
zines of  forage  are  laid  in  and  can  be  transported;  but  the 
British  garrison  and  shipping  will  be  a  full  compensation  for 
every  loss  of  that  kind."  "  It  will,"  he  confidently  added, 
"likewise  secure  the  future  tranquility  of  this  frontier."  But 
"Washington  could  furnish  neither  men  nor  supplies  necessary 
for  such  an  important  enterprise;  still,  he  desired  Brodhead 
not  to  discontinue  his  inquiries  and  preparations  as  far  as  con- 
venient; "for,"  said  he,  "it  is  an  object  of  too  great  impor- 
tance to  be  lost  sight  of." 

The  attention  of  the  savages  to  the  westward  during  the  first 
half  of  1779,  was  not  wholly  given  to  the  garrison  in  Fort 
Laurens.  The  settlements  upon  the  waters  of  the  Mononga- 
hela  and  the  Ohio  were,  during  that  period,  frequently  har- 
assed by  war  parties;  and,  after  the  evacuation  of  that  post, 
up  to  the  setting  in  of  winter,  the  Mingoes,  "Wyandots,  and 
Shawanese  continued  their  murderous  forays  to  the  southward 
and  southwestward  of  Pittsburgh.  The  two  tribes  last  men- 
tioned, it  is  true,  throughout  most  or  the  year,  made  loud  pro- 
testations of  friendship,  and  manifested,  apparently,  a  strong 
desire  for  peace;  but  Brodhead,  although  at  times  inclined  to 

1  Heckewelder  to  Brodhead,  23  Oct.,  1779,  MS.  Brodhead  to  Washington,  22  Nov., 
177ft,  in  Penn.  Arch.,  XII,  p.  189.  Royal  London  Gaz.,  15  July,  17S0.  Burnet's  Notes,  pp. 
292,  293.    Collins'  Hist.  Ky.,  vol.  11,  pp.  115,  116,  117. 


Ifi  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

give  ear  to  their  speeches,  was  nevertheless  so  mistrustful  of 
them — especially  of  the  Shawanese —  as  to  importune  Wash- 
ington several  times  for  permission  to  march  against  them. 

The  terms  of  enlistment  of  the  two  ranging  companies 
authorized  by  General  Mcintosh  and  raised  in  Westmoreland 
county — one  of  which  was  commanded  by  Captain  Matthew 
Jack,  the  other  by  Captain  Nehemiah  Stokely  —  expired  dur- 
ing the  summer;  but  their  places  were  filled  by  two  others, 
one  under  command  of  Captain  Joseph  Irwin,  the  other  of 
Captain  Thomas  Campbell.  These  companies  were  enlisted 
in  the  same  countv,  under  the  resolution  of  congress  for  raising 
five  in  all,  for  service  in  the  west.  Brodhead  was  authorized 
to  call  upon  these  companies  only  in  the  event  of  their  services 
being  needed  upon  an  expedition  against  the  enemy;  other- 
wise, they  were  to  take  orders  from  the  lieutenant  of  West- 
moreland county.  Until  this  was  fully  understood,  some 
trouble  was  caused,  yet  no  serious  results  ensued. 

From  the  time  of  the  return  of  Brodhead  from  his  expedi- 
tion against  the  Seneca  Indians  to  the  end  of  the  year,  a  good 
degree  of  quietude  existed  along  the  northern  frontier.  Raw- 
lings'  corps,  now  very  much  reduced  in  number,  was  still  in 
the  western  department.  These  troops  and  those  of  the  eighth 
Pennsylvania  and  ninth  Virginia  regiments  were  placed  for 
the  winter  in  such  positions  as,  in  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mander, would  best  protect  the  western  country.  Fort  Arm- 
strong and  Fort  Crawford  were  evacuated.  The  principal 
points  garrisoned  were  Wheeling,  Holiday's  Cove  (in  what  is 
now  Hancock  county,  West  Virginia)  and  Fort  Mcintosh,  down 
the  Ohio;  Fort  Pitt,  at  Pittsburgh;  and  Fort  Hand,  Fort  Wal- 
lace and  Hannastown,  on  the  northern  frontier:  the  two  last 
mentioned  were  occupied  by  the  ranging  companies  of  Captains 
Irwin  and  Campbell,  whose  terms  of  service  expired  during 
the  ensuing  winter.  Meanwhile,  Captain  Moorhead's  inde- 
pendent company,  which,  for  nearly  three  years,  had  been 
doing  duty  on  the  frontiers  of  Westmoreland  county,  was  re- 
moved to  Fort  Pitt,  and  made  a  part  of  the  eighth  Pennsyl- 
vania regiment. 

The  spring  of  1780  opened  gloomily  upon  the  western  fron- 


Introduction.  J,7 


tier.  As  early  as  the  middle  of  March  the  Indians  began  their 
depredations.  At  a  sugar  camp  on  Raccoon  creek,  a  stream 
flowing  into  the  Ohio,  on  the  left,  thirty-three  miles  by  the 
course  of  the  river  below  Pittsburgh,  five  men  were  killed 
and  three  girls  and  three  boys  taken  prisoners.  About  this 
time,  two  boats,  in  descending  the  Ohio,  were  attacked  a  few 
miles  below  Captina  creek,  which  empties  into  the  Ohio  on 
the  right,  twenty-one  miles  below  Wheeling,  and  one  of  them 
captured.  In  the  boats  were  some  families  on  their  way  to 
Kentucky.  Several  men  and  a  small  child  were  killed. 
Twenty-one  persons  —  men,  women  and  children  —  were  made 
captives.  Among  them  was  Catharine  Malott,  a  girl  in  her 
teens,  who  subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Simon  Girty,  the 
refugee  from  Pittsburgh.1 

The  visitations  of  the  savages  were  earlier  than  was  expected, 
considering  the  severity  of  the  season.  Brodhead  called  to- 
gether the  county  lieutenants  of  the  western  department  to 
consult  upon  the  alarming  state  of  affairs.  It  was  determined 
to  strike,  if  possible,  the  Shawanese,  whose  ravages  were  par- 
ticularly severe.  Active  measures  were  taken  to  protect  the 
border.  Forts  Armstrong  and  Crawford,  which  had  been  evac- 
uated late  in  the  previous  year,  were  again  garrisoned.  The 
counties  in  the  west  were  called  upon  for  over  eight  hundred 
militia,  to  go  upon  an  expedition  against  the  Shawanese,  but 
they  came  in  slowly.  Indian  marauds  into  the  settlements, 
and  lack  of  provisions,  together  with  the  boundary  controversy, 
caused  the  abandonment,  finally,  of  the  enterprise.  Brod- 
head had  been  informed  that  a  re-enforcement  of  continentals 
with  supplies  would  be  sent  him,  but  none  came. 

By  the  last  of  April,  the  Indians  had  become  exceedingly 
troublesome;  —  over  forty  men,  women  and  children  had  fallen 
victims  to  their  ferocity  in  the  country  south  and  southwest 
of  Fort  Pitt.  These  depredations  were  quickly  followed  by 
others  to  the  northward.  It  really  began  to  look  as  though 
the  county  of  "Westmoreland  would  again  become  a  wilderness. 

iPenn.  Arch.,  Vlir,  p.  159  —  XII,  p.  218.  MS.  Shane  Papers.  West.  Christ.  Adv., 
vol.  IT,  pp.  1,  5,  9, 14.  MS.  Statement  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Munger,  last  surviving  child  of 
Simon  Girty,  1864. 


$8  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

A  large  part  of  the  population  north  of  the  Yonghiogheny — 
the  principal  eastern  tributary  of  the  Monongahela  —  was 
forced  to  fly  to  the  several  forts  of  that  locality  fur  safety. 
The  utmost  exertions  of  local  companies  and  of  the  half-clad, 
half-starved  regulars  —  now  only  the  callings  of  the  last  year's 
men,  many  having  been  sent  over  the  mountains  on  account 
of  the  pressure  of  the  war  upon  the  sea-board  —  were  put  forth 
to  protect  the  homes  of  the  borderers,  but  with  little  effect. 
The  war  if  possible,  the  commander  fully  realized,  must  be 
carried  to  the  homes  of  the  savages;  and,  above  all,  as  it  was 
now  seen,  to  the  homes  of  the  "Wyandots,  who  were  more  power- 
ful for  mischief  to  the  border  than  either  of  the  other  tribes 
acting  against  it.  In  June,  Captain  Isaac  Craig  with  a  detach- 
ment from  the  fourth  Pennsylvania  regiment  of.  artillery 
reached  Fort  Pitt.  On  the  tenth  of  July,  Brodhead  informed 
the  lieutenants  of  the  counties  of  the  western  department  of 
his  intention  to  attack  the  Indian  towns  upon  the  Sandusky 
by  the  time  corn  should  come  to  perfection.  "  The  enterprise," 
said  he,  "  must  be  secret  and  the  execution  rapid." 

The  resolution  of  the  commander  to  assail  the  "Wy  an  dots 
was  a  timely  one;  for,  scarcely  had  a  week  gone  by,  before  a 
considerable  number  of  them — over  thirty  warriors  —  struck 
the  settlements  to  the  southwest  of  Fort  Pitt,  having  crossed 
the  Ohio  five  miles  below  Fort  Mcintosh.  Early  information 
enabled  Brodhead  to  send  a  detachment  down  the  river  to 
intercept  the  savages.  The  movement  proved  entirely  success- 
ful; nearly  the  whole  war.  party  was  killed;  not,  however,  un- 
til some  unsuspecting  harvesters  had  been  surprised  and  shot.1 

"How  happy  should  I  be,"  is  the  language  of  Brodhead  in 
August,  "if  it  were  in  my  power  to  attack  the  Wyandots  and 
Mingoes  at  this  time."  Difficulties,  however,  had  already  in- 
terposed. The  Maryland  corps  in  August  deserted  their  posts 
on  the  frontier  of  Westmoreland,  and,  in  a  body,  marched  to  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains.  The  time  for  starting  was  post- 
poned until  the  twelfth  of  October.  Meanwhile,  the  colonel 
w;is  informed  that  no  help  need  be  expected  from  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

kcweldcr  to  Brodhead,  11  Aug.,  1780,  MS. 


Introduction.  J/9 


"It  is  much  to  be  regretted,"  are  the  words  of  Washington, 
"  that  the  state  of  our  regular  troops  will  not  admit  of  a  detach- 
ment sufficient  to  reduce  the  posts  of  the  enemy  to  the  west- 
ward, or  even  to  undertake  anything  offensive  against  the  hos- 
tile tribes  of  Indians."  "  If  a  sufficient  quantity  of  provisions 
can  be  obtained,"  wrote  Brodhead  to  the  commander-in-chief 
on  the  fifth  of  September,  "  I  will  yet  visit  the  Wyandots  by 
the  first  of  November."  But  insurmountable  obstacles  were 
encountered.  On  the  seventeenth  of  October,  all  his  hopes 
had  vanished.  "  In  full  confidence  that  a  sufficient  supply  of 
provisions,"  he  wrote,  "  would,  sooner  or  later,  be  furnished  for 
the  troops  in  this  district,  as  well  as  for  such  number  of  militia 
as  policy  or  the  exigencies  of  affairs  might  render  necessary 
to  call  into  action,  I,  with  a  view  to  cut  off  the  AVyandots  and 
other  Indian  towns  that  were  very  troublesome  to  our  settle- 
ments, called  for  a  draft  from  the  militia,  at  three  different 
times,  and  was  as  often  disappointed  in  obtaining  provisions." 

Brodhead's  mortification  at  this  failure  was  great.  Under 
the  comparative  quietude  of  defensive  measures  only,  he  grew 
impatient.  His  temperament  was  ardent;  his  bravery  un- 
doubted. No  one  more  fully  realized  the  importance  of  acting 
on  the  offensive,  in  Indian  warfare;  and  especially  at  this  junc- 
ture in  the  affairs  of  the  western  border  was  such  a  policy  desir- 
able. "I  cannot  but  lament  the  repeated  disappointments  we 
have  met  with,"  are  his  despairing  words,  "  for  want  of  resources 
to  enable  us  to  retaliate  on  the  hell-hounds  of  the  forest.  But  I 
must  console  myself  with  a  consciousness  that  the  blame  lies 
not  at  my  door."  "The  want  of  provisions,"  wrote  "Washing- 
ton, "  is  a  clog  to  our  operations  in  every  quarter."  "The  small- 
ness  of  your  force,"  he  continued,  "  will  not  admit  of  an  expedi- 
tion of  any  consequence  had  you  magazines.  You  must  there- 
fore of  necessity,  confine  yourself  to  partizan  strokes,  which  I 
wish  to  be  encouraged."  *  Under  all  these  discouragements, 
the  gallant  colonel  maintained  his  equanimity:  "  I  am  sensible 
it  would  be  greatly  to  my  advantage  to  retire,  but  I  love  the 


i  Washington  to  Brodhead,  13  Oct.,  1780,  M9. 
4 


60  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

cause  in  which  we  are  engaged  and  wish  to  entertain  the  pleas- 
ing reflection  that  I  did  not  quit  the  field  until  I  had  seen  the 
freedom  of  my  country  fully  established." 

The  punishment  received  by  the  "Wyandots  in  July  below 
Fort  Pitt  did  not  check  the  marauds  of  the  savages  into  other 
settlements;  especially  were  their  visits  frequent  into  the  ex- 
posed parts  of  northwestern  Virginia.  About  the  middle  of 
August,  ten  men  were  killed  at  one  time,  in  Monongalia 
county.  A  month  subsequent,  seven  were  massacred  or  taken 
prisoners  upon  the  waters  of  Ten  mile  creek.  "  The  state  of 
our  frontiers,"  were  the  disconsolate  words  of  a  citizen  of 
Monongalia  in  October,  "  is  really  deplorable;  even  while  some 
of  us  are  engaged  in  burying  our  neighbors,  others  are  falling 
a  sacrifice  to  the  hellish  inventions  of  the  savages." 

An  event  afterward  took  place  which  tended  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  militia  upon  the  frontiers  to  the  south  and 
southwest  of  Pittsburgh.  This  was  the  passage  of  an  act  by 
the  general  assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  March  28,  1781, 
erecting  into  a  new  county  called  Washington,  all  the  territory 
between  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio  and  extending  south  and 
west  to  the  boundary  line  between  that  state  and  Virginia.  A 
•county  lieutenant  —  James  Marskel  —  was  appointed  for  the 
county  thus  created.  His  efficiency  in  organizing  new  battal- 
ions was  at  once  recognized. 

From  the  time  that  Brodhead  had  taken  command  at  Fort 
Pitt,  he  had  made  the  most  strenuous  endeavors  to  preserve 
friendly  relations  with  the  Delawares,  who,  ever  since  the  war 
began,  had  been  objects  of  suspicion  to  the  borderers.  It  was 
not  known,  of  course,  at  what  moment  they  might  take  up 
the  hatchet,  in  which  event  their  proximity  to  the  settlements 
would  give  them  great  advantages  for  mischief.  Besides,  it 
was  well  understood  that  some  of  them  were  actually  hostile 
while  the  nation  at  large  was,  professedly,  the  ally  of  the 
United  States.  The  inability  of  the  government  to  earn- 
out  treaty  stipulations,  and  the  influences  and  threats  of  the 
British  and  their  Indian  allies,  induced  them  finally,  though 
unwillingly,  to  rise  against  the  border,  only  a  small  band  re- 


Introduction. 


maining  in  the  interest  of  the  United  States.  Tims  the  Indian 
war,  early  in  1781,  became  general, —  not  a  single  tribe  in  the 
country  beyond  the  Ohio  remaining  friendly. 

The  commander  of  the  western  department  was  early  in- 
formed of  the  defection  of  the  Delawares.  "  The  people  at 
Coshocton,"  wrote  John  Hecke welder,  a  missionary,  from  one 
of  the  Moravian  villages,1  upon  the  Tuscarawas,  to  Brodhead, 
on  the  twenty-sixth  of  February,  "have  been  very  busy  in 
trying  to  deceive  you  this  long  time."  "I  indeed  believe," 
he  continued,  "  that  the  greater  part  of  them  will  be  upon  you 
in  a  few  days."  ''They  have  arranged  themselves  in  three 
parties,"  he  added,  "and,  if  I  am  right,  one  party  is  gone 
already;  but  I  hope  they  will  receive  what  they  deserve." 
And  thus  wrote,  also,  a  friendly  Delaware  Indian  from  the 
Moravian  towns:  "Everybody  here  knows  that  the  Coshocton 
men  are  getting  ready  to  go  and  fight  you."  Now,  the  leader 
of  these  hostile  Delawares  was  the  war-chief  Winganund. 
Brodhead,  acting  upon  a  suggestion  of  the  patriotic  mis- 
sionary,2 determined,  thereupon,  to  carry  the  war  to  the  homes 
of  the  Coshocton  Indians.3 

It  was  well  that  Brodhead  made  this  resolve,  for,  at  that 
very  time,  the  Delawares  were  earnestly  soliciting  the  British 
commandant  at  Detroit  to  send  traders  among  them,  declaring 
that  they  would  no  longer  listen  "  to  the  Yirginians,"  who, 
they  said,  had  deceived  them.  The  artful  but  humane  De- 
Peyster  encouraged  them,  but  added:  "I  am  pleased  when  I 
see  what  you  call  live  meat,  because  I  can  speak  to  it  and  get 
information;  scalps  serve  to  show  that  you  have  seen  the 
enemy,  but  they  are  of  no  use  to  me;  I  cannot  speak  to  them."4 

On  the  seventh  of  April,  the  commander  left  Fort  Pitt  with 
over  one  hundred  and  fifty  regulars,  on  an  expedition  against 

1  There  were  three  of  the  Moravian  Indian  villages  —  New  Schoenbrunn,  Gnadenhuet- 
ten  and  Salem.  They  were  all  located  in  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas,  some  distance 
above  Coshocton,  and  within  the  present  limits  of  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio. 

2  '■  If  it  shall  be  concluded  on  that  a  body  of  men  should  march  to  Coshocton  to  pun- 
ish these  wicked  people,"  etc. —  Heckewe]der  to  Brodhead,  in  Perm.  Arch.,  VIII,  p.  77!. 

s  Brodhead  to  Col.  David  Shepherd,  5  March,  1781,  original  letter.  Compare  Penn. 
Arch.,  IX,  pp.  39,  52,  57,  97;  The  Olden  Time,  II,  pp.  3S9-392. 

*De  Peyster's  "  Miscellanies,"  p.  253.  By  live  meat,  he  mnant  "prisoners,  styled  so 
by  the  Indians." 


U  ashington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


the  Delawares,  dropping  down  to  Wheeling  where  David 
Shepherd,  lieutenant  of  Ohio  county,  Virginia,  had  collected 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  the  militia  of  his  county,  in- 
cluding officers.1  With  them  were  a  few  friendly  Indians  — 
Captains  Montour  and  Wilson  and  three  other  warriors2 — 
who  evinced  a  keen  desire  for  the  scalps  of  the  hostile  Dela- 
wares. On  the  tenth,  the  united  force  made  its  way  across  the 
Ohio,  taking  the  nearest  route  to  Coshocton.  Shepherd's  divi- 
sion consisted  of  four  companies.  The  savages  were  com- 
pletely surprised.  Their  town  was  laid  waste;  also  a  village 
of  theirs  just  below.3  Fifteen  of  their  warriors  were  killed 
and  over  twenty  prisoners  taken.  Large  quantities  of  peltry4 
and  other  stores  were  destroyed,  and  about  forty  head  of  cattle 
killed.  The  Americans  then  proceeded  up  the  valley  to  New- 
comer's town,  where  there  were  about  thirty  friendly  Delaware 
Indians,  who  were  occupying  the  place.  From  them,  as  well 
as  from  the  Moravian  missionaries  and  their  converts,  whose 
towns  were  not  far  away,  the  troops  experienced  great  kind- 
ness, obtaining  a  sufficient  supply  of  meat  and  corn  to  subsist 
themselves  and  their  horses  to  the  Ohio.  The  plunder  brought 
in  by  the  troops  sold  for  a  large  sum.'  The  expedition  proved 
a  decided  success;  for  the  hostile  Delawares  now  entirely  for- 
sook the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas  and  Muskingum,  never 
again  occupying  either  as  a  permanent  abode  —  drawing  back 
to  the  Scioto,  the  Mad  river  and  the  Sandusky,  receiving  mean- 

1  Roster  of  Col.  Shepherd's  Division:  David  Shepherd,  colonel;  Samuel  McColloch, 
major;  Isaac  Mecks,  adjutant ;  William  Mclntyre,  quarter  master;  James  Lemon,  ser- 
geant major;  Jonathan  Zanc,  spy;  Captain  Joseph  Ogle,  two  lieutenants,  one  ensign, 
two  sergeants,  and  sixty-four  privates;  Captain  Benjamin  Royce,  one  lieutenant,  two 
sergeants,  and  twenty-seven  privates;  Captain  Jacob  Lcfler,  one  sergeant,  and  nine 
privates;  Captain  William  Crawford,  one  sergeant,  and  thirteen  privates.  Time  of  ser- 
vice, from  April  10th  to  April  S8th  (1781),  inclusive. 

2Brodhead  to  Huntington,  August  23,  1781. 

3  Known  at  this  time  as  "  Indaochaie;"  but,  when  previously  occupied  by  Moravian 
Indians,  it  was  called  "Lichtenau."  It  was  in  what  is  now  Tuscarawas  township,  Co- 
shocton county,  Ohio,  two  ami  a  half  miles  below  Coshocton. 

4  Not  "poltry,"  as  printed  in  Penn.  Arch.,  IX,  p.  161. 

'Brodbead  to  Shepherd,  16  Marco  and  8  April,  1781,  original  letters.  Shepherd's  pay 
roll  of  tlr;  Coshocton  campaign,  original  MS.  Brodhead  to  the  commanding  ollicer  of 
Monongahcla  militia,  6  Apr.,  1781,  in  Brodheadv  US.  Letter  book  for  that  year.  Brod- 
head  to  Sup.  Ex.  Council,  23 May,  1781,  In  Penn.  Arch.,  IX,  p.  161.  Same  to  Congress, 
28  May,  1781,  in  Penn.  Packet  of  June  Oth,  1781,  which  was  Brodhead's  ullicial  report  of 
his  "Coshocton  Campaign." 


Introduction. 


while,  every  encouragement  from  the  British  commander  at 
Detroit,  who  now  addressed  them  as  his  "children."1  The 
friendly  Delawares,  at  Newcomer's  town,  put  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  Brodhead  and  marched  with  him  to  Fort 
Pitt  for  safety.  It  was  well  they  did,  for,  in  a  few  days,  eighty 
hostile  Delawares,  headed  by  a  chief  of  the  same  tribe,  came 
to  the  Tuscarawas  valley  in  pursuit  of  them. 

Although  the  failure  of  Mcintosh  in  his  designs  upon  De- 
troit had  discouraged  further  attempts  in  that  direction,  yet 
Washington  ever  kept  in  view  an  undertaking  against  that 
post,  to  be  carried  into  execution  with  a  continental  force. 
He  well  knew  that  so  long  as  it  continued  in  possession  of  the 
enemy  it  would  be  a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  the  whole 
western  frontier;  but  the  want  of  men  and  supplies  as  Brod- 
head at  Fort  Pitt  fully  realized,  had  thus  far  rendered  ife 
impossible  to  move  successfully  in  the  enterprise.  Finally, 
however,  the  governor  of  Virginia  informed  the  commander- 
in-chief  that  he  thought  he  should  be  able,  with  the  aid  of 
some  artillery  and  stores  already  at  Pittsburgh,  to  accomplish 
this  most  desirable  object.  George  Rogers  Clark  was  to 
command  the  expedition.  Washington,  who  favored  the  enter- 
prise and  determined  to  give  it  all  the  aid  in  his  power, 
believed  it  could  not  be  committed  to  better  hands.  Of  Clark, 
he  wrote:  "I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  the  gentle- 
man; but,  independently  of  the  proofs  he  has  given  of  his 
activity  and  address,  the  unbounded  confidence  which  I  am 
told  the  western  people  repose  in  him,  is  a  matter  of  vast  im- 
portance; as  I  imagine  a  considerable  part  of  his  force  will 
consist  of  volunteers  and  militia,  who  are  not  to  be  governed 
by  military  laws,  but  must  be  held  by  the  ties  of  confidence 
and  affection  to  their  leader."  Brodhead  was  enjoined  to  give 
countenance  and  assistance  to  the  enterprise.  He  was  assured 
that,  while  offensive  operations  were  going  forward  against 
Detroit  and  the  Indians  in  alliance  with  the  British  in  that 
quarter,  the  posts  in  the  western  department  would,  with 
small  garrisons  in  them,  and  by  the  exercise  of  proper  vigi- 

1  De  Peystcr  to  the  Delawares,  June  7,  1782,  in  "  Miscellanies  "  of  that  officer,  pp.  233, 
254. 


51f,  Washrngtonr-lrvme  Correspondence. 

lance,  be  perfectly  secure.  This  assurance,  however,  did  not 
satisfy  the  ambition  of  Brodhead.  His  restless  spirit  could 
hardly  brook  confinement  within  the  walls  of  Furt  Pitt  while 
others  were,  probably,  soon  to  gather  laurels  which  he  had 
fondly  imagined  were  to  encircle  his  own  brow.  But,  being 
a  true  friend  of  his  countiy,  he  would  obey  orders  though  he 
could  not  conceal  his  chagrin:  "I  have  hitherto  been  encour- 
aged to  flatter  myself  that  I  should  sooner  or  later  be  enabled 
to  reduce  Detroit.  But  it  seems  the  United  States  cannot 
furnish  either  troops  or  resources  for  the  purpose,  but  the  state 
of  Virginia  can."  And  again:  "I  have  just  received  instruc- 
tions from  the  commander-in-chief  to  detach  my  field  pieces, 
howitzers  and  train,  also  a  part  of  my  small  force,  under  Col- 
onel Clark,  who,  I  am  told,  is  to  drive  all  before  him  by  his 
supposed  unbounded  influence  in  the  western  country." 

On  the  seventh  of  May,  1781,  Brodhead  left  Fort  Pitt  for 
Philadelphia  on  public  business,1  giving  the  command  of  that 
post  and  the  western  department,  during  his  absence,  to  Col- 
onel John  Gibson,  whom  he  thus  addressed:  " Having  obtained 
leave  from  his  excellency,  the  commander-in-chief,  to  proceed 
to  Philadelphia  and  represent  the  affairs  of  this  department, 
I  intend  to  set  out  immediately.  You  will  remain  in  com- 
mand until  it  is  determined  that  you  are  otherwise  ordered  by 
proper  authority.  Should  this  happen  before  my  return,  the 
command  will  then  devolve  on  Lieutenant-Colonel  [Stephen] 
Bayard."2 

The  arrival  of  Clark  in  the  trans- Alleghany  country  awakened 
much  enthusiasm  in  many  of  the  settlements  of  both  states 
in  aid  of  his  expedition.  But,  in  some,  owing  principally  to 
the  unsettled  state  of  affairs  caused  by  the  boundary  contro- 
versy, a  determined  opposition  was  manifested.  Brodhead, 
also,  had  availed  himself  of  a  certain  discretion  given  him  by 
the  commander-in-chief  to  withhold  some  supplies.  How- 
ever, definite  orders  having  been  received  by  Gibson  from 
Washington,  after  Brodhead's  departure,  all  the  articles  de- 

>  Brodhead  to  Baron  Steuben,  Soptcmbcr  C,  1781,  MS. 

Miead  to  Gibson,  May  <i,  1711,  MS.    For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Bayard,  sec  Ap- 
1  endix  M,— Buyurd  to  Irvine,  April  5,  1783,  note. 


Introduction. 


mantled  were  turned  over  to  Clark  which  it  was  thought  could 
be  spared  consistent  with  the  safety  of  the  garrison  at  Fort 
Pitt.  Finally,  with  volunteers  and  militia  obtained  from  the 
country,1  and  a  regiment  of  Virginia  state  troops  —  Colonel 
Joseph  Crockett's  —  together  with  the  detachment  of  artillery 
at  Fort  Pitt  commanded  by  Captain  Isaac  Craig,2  in  all  about 
four  hundred  men,3  having  three  field  pieces,  ordnance  and 
other  stores, —  Clark,  near  the  close  of  July,4  moved  down  the 
Ohio  from  Pittsburgh  for  the  falls  (Louisville),  stopping  at 
"Wheeling  on  the  way.  "He  left  this  place  with  a  great  many 
boats  large  and  small,"  says  a  writer  at  Pittsburgh,  about  a 
month  after,  "a  very  large  cpuantity  of  flour,  some  salt,  a  good 
deal  of  whisky  and  very  little  beef,  and  that  little  he  chiefly 
lost  before  he  got  to  "Wheeling  where  he  continued  some  days. 

...  At  and  about  Wheeling,  he  was  joined  by  numbers 
from  that  country,  to  what  amount  I  cannot  tell,  and  deserted 
by  near  a  hundred  of  the  militia  who  left  this  place  with 
him."5 

A  Pennsylvania  force  composed  of  volunteers  and  a  company 
of  state  troops  (rangers)  raised  for  the  defense  of  Westmore- 
land county,  all  under  command  of  Archibald  Lochry,  lieuten- 
ant of  that  county,  on  its  way  down  the  river  to  join  Clark, 
was,  on  account  of  information  derived  from  an  intercepted 
note  of  the  latter  by  the  enemy,  attacked  by  Indians  under 
command  of  Captain  Joseph  Brant  (Thayendanegea)  and 
George  Girty  (who,  after  his  brothers  Simon  and  James  had 
joined  the  enemies  of  his  country,  had  deserted  and  was  now 
in  the  employment  of  Great  Britain)  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
August,  about  eleven  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Miami,    in    what   is   now  the  the  state  of    Indiana.     Every 

1  Clark  to  Shepherd,  original  letters  of  2d,  8th  and  18th  of  July,  1781,  MS. 

2  Craig  to  Clark  from  Fort  Pitt,  July  2",  1781,  original  letter.  Gibson  to  Washington, 
August  25,  1781.  MS.  Captain  (afterward  Major)  Craig's  command  at  Fort  Pitt  was  a 
detachment  from  the  fourth  Pennsylvania  regiment  of  artillery,  and  a  detachment  of 
artillery  artificers.  Captain  Craig  left  Carlisle  for  Fort  Pitt  May  23,  1760,  and  reached 
that  post  June  25,  following.    (Ante,  p.  48.) 

3  Gibson  to  Washington,  just  cited. 

4  MS.  Mem.  of  Capt.  Craig,  of  July  29,  1781.  Compare  Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog., 
Vol.  IV.  p.  248. 

*Ephraim  Douglass  to  Gen.  James  Irvine,  29  Aug.  1781,  in  Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and 
Biog.,  just  cited. 


OG  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

man  present  of  the  Americans  —  numbering  in  all  over  one 
hundred  —  "was  killed  or  captured.1  Colonel  Lochry  was 
among  the  slain.  Because  of  this  unfortunate  event  and  the 
passing  of  an  act  by  Virginia  authorizing  its  governor  to  stop 
the  expedition,  causing  the  non-arrival  of  other  expected 
re-enforcements,  Clark,  who  was  at  the  falls,  was  compelled 
to  abandon  the  enterprise.2  Captain  Craig,  with  his  com- 
mand, made  his  way  back  to  Fort  Pitt,  where  he  arrived,  after 
many  hardships,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  November. 

Brodhead  returned  to  Pittsburgh  on  the  eleventh  of  August. 
He  was  then  involved  in  a  controversy  with  some  of  his 
officers  who  had  preferred  charges  against  him.  Immediately 
upon  his  arrival  and  while  preparations  were  making  for  his 
trial,  a  question  of  rank  arose  between  him  and  Colonel  Gib- 
son. It  proved  a  bitter  quarrel  — a  contest  for  the  command 
of  the  department.  He  wrote  "Washington  on  the  nineteenth, 
that,  by  the  clamor  of  some  disaffected  persons  and  others,  lie 
found  himself  in  the  most  disagreeable  situation  he  ever 
experienced.  On  the  twenty-ninth  matters  had  not  improved. 
"Things  here,"  he  again  wrote  the  commander-in-chief,  "are 
in  the  utmost  confusion;  some  officers  confessing  me  to  be 
the  commanding  officer,  and  others,  Colonel  Gibson;  nor  is  it 
likely  they  will  change  until  your  excellency's  pleasure  is 
expressed."  It  was  claimed  by  Colonel  Gibson  and  his  adher- 
ents that,  as  they  interpreted  the  instructions  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, they  could  not  with  propriety  be  commanded 
by  Brodhead  until  he  had  cleared  himself  of  the  charges 
exhibited  against  him  which  were  then  pending. 

1  Statement  of  Robert  Orr,  MS.  Brig.  Gen.  Wm.  Irvine  to  Congress  from  Fort  Pitt, 
I  r    3,  1781,  Appendix  A.    Penn.  Packet,  March  12,  1782  (No.  f-57).    Devercnx 

Smith  to  Gen.  Irvine,  September  13,  1782,  Appendix  M.  Consult  also,  in  this  connec- 
tion, Vermont  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.,  II.  pp.  843,  814;  McBride'a  Pion.  Biog.,  I,  pp.  278-287; 
P  nn.  Arch.,  IX,  pp.  333,  458,  468,  574;  Col.  Kcc.  Pa.,  XIII,  pp.  155,  167,  824;  Sparks' 
Corr.  Amer.  Pcv.,  Ill,  p.  456. 

'Clark  to  the  Gov.  of  Va.,  from  " Fort  Nelaon "  (Louisville),  October  8,  1781,  MS. 
For  further  information  concerning  Clark's  intended  attack  on  Detroit,  sec  The 
Olden  Time,  Vol.  II,  pp.  314,  3)5. 

ii  Gibson,  Col.  commanding  at  Fort  Pitt;  Frcd'k  Vernon,  Major  8th  Pa.  RegU; 
Uriah  Springer,  (.'apt. ,7th  Va.  Reg't;"  and  eleven  other  officers;  —  to  Brodhead,  Ang. 
MS.    The  charges  were  principally,  that  he  had  speculated  with  the  public 
funds.    (Penn.  Arch.,  IX,  pp.  07,  306.) 


Introduction.  57 


"Dissensions  run  high  in  every  department  of  our  trans- 
montane  country,"  wrote  a  close  observer  of  affairs  from  Pitts- 
burgh. "Those  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  are  not 
yet  entirely  healed,  and  a  variety  of  new  ones  have  been  cre- 
ated; the  citizen  is  opposed  to  the  soldier  and  a  variety  of 
parties  formed  from  opinion,  prejudice,  or  prospects  of  inter- 
est among  themselves  abstracted  from  their  quarrels  with  the 
army  about  which  they  are  also  divided  —  and  have  had  the 
fortune  or  address  to  create  divisions  among  the  military 
people  themselves,  two  of  whom,  the  highest  in  rank,  are  at 
this  time  contending  for  the  command  and  each  supported  by 
his  friends  and  adherents."1 

Just  before  the  departure  of  Clark  from  Fort  Pitt  and  be- 
fore the  return  of  Brodhead  from  the  east,  the  former  sug- 
gested to  Gibson  that,  with  the  troops  who  were  to  be  left 
behind  on  account  of  being  illy  supplied  with  clothing,  and 
with  as  many  volunteers  or  militia  as  could  be  called  out 
readily  for  that  purpose,  he  ought  to  make  an  excursion 
against  the  Wyandots  upon  the  Sandusky;  Clark  would,  at 
the  same  time,  begin  his  nfarch  from  the  mouth  of  the  Miami 
river  against  the  Shawanese,  on  his  way  to  Detroit,  which  was 
intended  to  be  about  the  fourth  of  September.  The  matter  was 
laid  before  Brodhead  immediately  opon  his  arrival  at  Pitts- 
burgh, who  approved  of  the  enterprise,  and,  claiming  the  right 
of  command,  issued  circular  letters  to  the  county  lieutenants 
to  aid  the  undertaking.  Early  in  September,  at  Fort  Mcin- 
tosh, was  the  time  and  place  fixed  upon  for  rendezvous.  It 
was  determined  that  the  country  people  going  upon  the  expe- 
dition should  be  considered  volunteers  and  might  elect  their 
own  officers;  that  each  man  should  provide  himself  with  a 
horse  and  thirty  days'  provisions;  and  that  the  whole  should 
bring  as  many  spare  horses  as  would  mount  one  hundred  and 
fifty  regulars  —  the  number  Gibson  proposed  to  take  with  him 
upon  the  occasion,  from  Fort  Pitt.2  Preparations  were  im- 
mediately made  for  the  enterprise.     A  number  of  volunteers 

1Ephraim  Douglass  to  Gen.  James  Irvine  from  Pittsburgh,  August  23,  1781,  in  Penn. 
Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  IV,  p.  247. 
2  Gibson  to  Washington,  25  Aug.,  1781,  MS. 


5S  Wash  ington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

was  enrolled  —  leading  citizens  of  the  country  taking  an  act- 
ive part  in  aiding  the  project,  and  offering  their  services  for 
the  campaign.  "An  expedition,"  wrote  Brodhead,  on  the 
twenty-third  of  August,  "against  the  Sanduskies,  is  in  con- 
templation." As  he  considered  himself,  at  that  time,  in 
command  of  the  western  department,  he  expressed  his  desire 
to  promote  the  undertaking.  To  Washington  he  wrote:  "  The 
troops  will  rendezvous  at  Fort  Mcintosh,  on  the  4th  and  5th 
of  next  month;  the  country  appears  desirous  to  promote 
it  [the  expedition];  and  I  intend  to  command  it,  if  they,  the 
militia  and  volunteers,  do  not  suffer  themselves  to  he  induced 
into  a  belief,  that  I  have  no  right  to  command." 

At  the  moment  when  every  thing  seemed  auspicious  for  the 
success  of  the  enterprise  alarming  intelligence  reached  Fort 
Pitt  from  the  banks  of  the  Tuscarawas.  David  Zeisberger,  one 
of  the  Moravian  missionaries  there,  had  dispatched  a  messen- 
ger to  the  commander  at  Pittsburgh  with  a  written  message 
to  the  effect  that  a  large  number  of  Indians  —  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  in  all  —  was  approaching  the  settlements  with 
the  intention,  probably,  of  going  to  "Wheeling,  but  they  might 
attack  some  of  the  other  posts.  "They  will  try,"  said  he,  "to 
decoy  the  garrison  out  where  they  will  lie  in  ambush."  "The 
party  is  headed,"  continued  the  missionary  "by  Matthew  El- 
liott and  a  few  English  and  French.  The  Indians  are  Wyan- 
dots,  Delawares,  Monseys,  and  a  small  number  of  Shawanese." 
"You  will  be  careful,"  he  added,  "not  to  mention  that  you 
had  this  intelligence  from  our  towns;  for  it  would  prove  dan- 
gerous for  us  if  the  Indians  should  get  knowledge  of  it;  which 
might  happen  by  a  prisoner,  if  they  should  take  one."1 

"  Last  evening  I  was  honored  with  your  obliging  letter," 
was  the  response  of  Brodhead  to  the  missionary,  "for  which 
be  pleased  to  accept  my  best  thanks.  AVe  shall  be  upon 
our  guard  and  give  the  wicked  a  warm  reception." 2  The  com- 
manding officer  at  Fort  Henry  ("Wheeling)  was  soon  informed 
by  Brodhead  of  the  coming  of  the  enemy.     "You  will  immc- 

r  to  Brodhead,  Aug.  18,  1781,  MS.    Just  what  Zeisberger  feared 
would  happen  did  take  place,  as  will  hereafter  be  shown. 
> Brodhead 'e  MS.  letter  book,  August 26, 1TS1. 


Introduction.  59 


diately  put  your  garrison  in  the  best  posture  of  defence,"  he 
wrote,  "and  lay  in  as  great  quantity  of  water  as  circumstances 
will  admit,  and  receive  them  coolly.  They  intend  to  decoy 
your  garrison,  but  you  are  to  guard  against  stratagem,  and  de- 
fend the  post  to  the  last  extremity."  "You  must  not  fail," 
he  added,  "to  give  the  alarm  to  the  inhabitants  within  your 
reach,  and  make  it  as  general  as  possible,  in  order  that  every 
man  may  be  prepared  at  this  crisis."  ferodhead  also  sent  let- 
ters to  the  county  lieutenants  and  one  to  the  commandant  of 
Fort  Mcintosh,  with  information  of  the  threatened  attack. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  excitement  was  intense  all  along 
the  border.  Fort  Henry  was  immediately  placed  in  a  proper 
condition  for  defense.  The  borderers  everywhere  put  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  meet  the  foe.  "  The  country  has  taken 
the  alarm,"  wrote  Brodhead,  "  and  several  hundred  men  are 
now  in  arms  upon  the  frontier."  It  was  not  long  before  the 
Indians  made  their  appearance,  as  was  expected,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Wheeling,  being  but  a  part,  however,  of  those  who 
were  at  the  Moravian  Indian  towns.  Of  three  boys  outside 
of  Fort  Henry,  at  the  time,  one  was  killed,  and  one  —  David 
Glenn  —  was  made  prisoner.  The  other  effected  his  escape 
inside  the  fortification,  slightly  wounded.  In  a  moment,  the 
garrison  was  ready  to  receive  the  savages.  The  latter,  seeing 
the  borderers  fully  prepared  for  them,  soon  disappeared,  doing 
but  little  mischief,  except  killing  all  the  cattle  they  could 
find.1  Their  depredations  up  Wheeling  and  Buffalo  creeks, 
however,  were,  before  they  re-crossed  the  Ohio,  much  more 
serious.     They  killed  and  captured  several  persons.3 

The  intelligence  sent  by  Zeisberger,  the  Moravian  mission- 
ary, to  Broclhead  was  not  well  kept.3 .  The  captured  boy,  Glenn, 
[  informed  the  savages  "  that  the  garrison  at  Wheeling  and  the 
country  in  general  were  alarmed  and  on  their  guard;  that 
they  had  been  notified  of   the  intention  of  the  Indians  by 

I  . 

j 

1  De  Hass'  Hist.  Hid.  Wars  W.  Va.,  p.  258.  Heckewclder's  NaiT ,  pp.  862,  263.  Dr. 
Joseph  Doddridge's  MSS.  Gibson  to  Washington,  September  30,  1781,  MS.  State- 
ment of  Mrs.  Lydia  Crnger,  1813,  MS. 

2  Statement  of  Henry  Jolly,  l!-38,  MS.  Dr.  Jos.  Doddridge's  Narr.  of  the  second  and 
third  attacks  upon  Fort  Henry,  MS.    Statement  of  Mrs.  Lydia  Cruger,  1845,  MS. 

'  Zeisberger,  it  seems,  sent  two  expresses. 


GO  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

letters  sent  to  Pittsburgh  by  the  Moravian  ministers.  This 
exasperated  the  warriors  so  much  that  they  took  the  mission- 
aries prisoners,  tied  them,  and  destroyed  everything  they  had, 
and  ordered  the  whole  of  the  Moravian  Indians  to  get  up  and 
move  off  with  their  families,  or  they  would  cut  them  all  off, 
which  they  were  obliged  to  consent  to."  x  The  day  after  the 
arrest  of  the  ministers,  another  party  of  savages  returned 
from  the  border  settlements  to  Gnadenhuetten,  bringing  with 
them  as  prisoner  a  white  man  who  had  been  captured  some 
distance  from  Wheeling.  lie  corroborated  the  story  of  the 
boy-prisoner  as  to  the  missionaries  having  sent  word  to  Fort 
Pitt  of  the  intentions  of  the  Indians. 

The  missionary  establishments  upon  the  Tuscarawas  were 
thus  broken  up,  news  of  which  was  brought  to  Gibson  at 
Pittsburgh  by  a  Moravian  Indian  woman  who  made  her  escape 
from  the  warriors  and  came  into  that  place  on  the  seventh  of 
September.  The  information  soon  spread  through  all  the  set- 
tlements of  the  border  counties.  The  missionaries  and  their 
converts  were  taken  to  the  Sandusky  river  by  the  savage  allies 
of  Great  Britain,  under  the  lead  of  that  "infamous  rascal, 
Matt.  Elliot,"2  where,  at  a  point  a  little  over  two  miles  south 
of  the  present  Upper  Sandusky,  county-seat  of  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio,  but  on  the  opposite  (east  side)  of  the  river,  they 
prepared  to  spend  the  winter.  Upon  their  arrival  in  the 
Wyandot  country,  they  were  left  in  great  destitution.  The 
ministers  were  compelled  to  visit  Detroit  to  be  examined  by 
De  Peyster,  the  commandant,  touching  their  correspondence 
with  the  Americans.  They  were  afterward  permitted  to 
return  to  the  Sandusky,  as  the  evidence  in  possession  of  the 
Detroit  commander  was  not  sufficient  for  their  detention. 
They  had,  however,  on  many  occasions  favored  the  Fort  Pitt 
commanders  with  important  information,  to  the  prejudice  of 
tli",  English  and  British  Indians;  and  this,  too,  of  their  own 
free  will.3     Their  fidelitv  to  the  Americans  was,  so  lomr   as 


in,  from  Fort  Pitt,  September  3D,  17S1,  MS. 
3  B  I     Gen.  Win.  [rvine,  from  Fort  Pitt,  to  his  wife,  December  20, 17S1,  Appendix  L. 
Bon,  from  Port  Pitt,  May  83,  17S1,  MS.    Compare  also,  Penn.  Arch., 
VII,  pp.  516,  624,  511  —VIII,  pp.  152,  !5-<,  170. 


Introduction.  Gl 


they  remained  upon  the  Tuscarawas,  always  to  be  relied 
upon. 

Not  long  after  and  while  the  Wyandots  were  upon  the  Wal- 
honding  on  their  way  back,  with  the  missionaries  and  the 
Moravian  Indians,  to  Sandusky,  seven  of  their  number,  of  whom 
three  were  sons  of  the  Half  King,1  left  the  main  body  and 
again  marched  for  the  border,  raiding  into  a  small  settlement 
on  Ilarman's  creek,  in  Washington  county,  taking  one  prisoner 
—  a  man  about  sixty  years  of  age.  The  savages  immediately 
started  on  their  return,  but  were  soon  pursued  by  a  number 
of  settlers,  to  the  Ohio  river,  where  they  were  overtaken  and 
all  killed  except  one;  and  he,  their  leader,  Scotash  by  name, 
escaped  wounded.  The  white  prisoner  was  released.  Andrew 
Poe,  one  of  the  pursuers,  his  gun  missing  fire,  boldly  sprang 
upon  and  grappled  two  of  the  Indians  —  sons  of  the  Half 
King.  During  a  most  violent  struggle,  which  was  continued 
first  on  shore  and  then  in  the  river,  Andrew  killed  one  of  the 
Indians  but  was  himself  badly  wounded.  Adam  Poe,  a  brother, 
coming  to  his  relief,  shot  the  other  savage.  Meanwhile,  An- 
drew then  in  the  water,  by  mistake  received  a  second  wound 
from  one  of  his  own  men.     The  settlers  lost  one  killed.2 

The  conflict  of  authority  at  Fort  Pitt,  together  with  the 
Indian  invasion,  caused  a  postponement  of  the  expedition 
against  Sandusky.  Finally,  the  contest  between  the  command- 
ers continuing,  the  enterprise  was  wholly  abandoned.3  Wash- 
ington put  an  end  to  the  dispute,  by  ordering  Brodhead  to 


111  As  early  as  the  spring  of  1779,  the  three  sons  of  the  Half  King  went,  in  company, 
to  war  against  the  border."— Heckewelder  to  Brodhead,  April  9,1779,  MS.  It  was, 
therefore,  not  a  new  thing  for  all  three  to  be  together  upon  a  marauding  expedition. 

a  Recollections  of  the  Captivity  of  Thomas  Edgington,  as  related  by  his  sou,  Geo. 
Edgingtou,  1845,  MS.  Pension  statement  of  Adam  Poe,  1S33,  MS.  copy.  Statement  of 
Wm.  Walker,  MS.  Consult,  in  this  connection,  Heckewelder's  Narr.,  pp.  279,  281,  30  5; 
Smith's  Hist.  Jeff.  College,  p.  391,  note;  De  Hass'  Hist.  Ind.  Wars  \V.  Va.,  p.  33'S.  Mc- 
Knight's  Western  L'order,  p.  413.  Schweinitz'  Life  and  Times  of  David  Zeisberger, 
p.  517.  But  neither  of  the  savages  ki'led  was  named  Big  Foot  (there  was  never  a  Wyandot 
chief  so  called);  nor  was  either  of  the  sons  of  the  Half  King  of  unusual  size.  It  i8 
with  regret  that  I  am  compelled  thus  to  spoil,  somewhat,  the  romance  of  the  famous 
fight  of  "  Andrew  Poe  and  Big  Foot,"  which  story  has  long  been  the  delight  of  youthful 
readers. 

a  Gibson  to  Shepherd,  September  12,  1781,  original  letter.  Brig.  Gen.  Wm.  Irvine, 
from  Fort  Pitt,  to  Washington,  December  2, 1731,  post.  Sparks'  Corr.  Amer.  Rev.,  Ill, 
p.  452.    The  Olden  Time,  II,  p.  53 J. 


Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


resign  his  command  during  the  dependence  of  his  trial,  to 
Colonel  Gibson,  the  latter  to  "assume  the  like  command  at 
the  post  of  Fort  Pitt  and  its  dependencies,  as  had  been  com- 
mitted to  Colonel  Brodhead."  1  On  the  seventeenth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1781,  the  latter  quietly  turned  over  his  charge  as 
directed  by  the  commander-in-chief,  and  was  relieved  from  the 
command  in  the  west.2 


i  Washington  to  Brodhead,  September  6, 1731,  MS.  Same  to  Gibson,  same  date,  MS. 
■\\  a-lnugton's  letter  to  Gibson  was  as  follows: 

'•Head  of  Elk  [now  Elkton,  Maryland],  Sept.  Gth,  1781 . 

"Sir:-  Colonel  Brodhead  having  been  directed,  in  my  letter  to  him  of  this  date,  to 
resign  his  command  at  Fort  Pitt,  during  the  dependence  of  his  trial,  on  sundry  accusa- 
tions brought  against  him  whilst  in  command  [the  principal  of  which  was  for  specu- 
lating with  public  funds],  you  will  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  this  assume  the 
like  command  at  the  post  of  Fort  Pitt  an.l  its  dependencies,  as  has  been  committed  to 
Colonel  Brodhead. 

".Mr.  [Alexander]  Fowler,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  principal  in   the  accusation 

brought  against  Colonel  Brodhead,  insisting  that  he  has  a  right  in  this  instance  to  act 

as  judge  advocate,  from  his  having  been  in  that  capacity  for  some  time  past,  you  will, 

from  the  manifest  impropriety  in  this  case,  direct  that  Mr.  Fowler  do  not  appear  nor 

act  as  deputy  advocate,  in  taking  the  depositions  necessary  on  this   trial,  nor  in  any 

other  way  in  the  present  case  as  judge  advocate;  and  you  will  appoint  some  person 

whom  you  shall  think  proper,  to  act  in  such  manner  as   directed  in  any  former  letters 

on  this  occasion.    In  this  way  I  hope  to  have  this   disagreeable  dispute  speedily 

issued. 

"I  am,  etc., 

"  G.  Washington. 
"To  Col.  John  Gibson, 
"  Fort  Pitt." 

Washington's  letter  to  Brodhead  was  in  these  words: 

"  Head  of  Elk,  Sept.  6th,  1781. 

"  Sir:—  I  have  received  your  letter  of  23d  Augt,  with  its  enclosnres.  Bad  you  ad- 
verted to  the  plain  construction  of  mine  of  the  5th  of  May,  you  would  not  have  been  in 
doubt  as  to  the  propriety  of  your  holding  the  commuid  at  Port  Pitt,  whiie  your  trial 
was  preparing  and  hearing.  As  you  seem  to  have  misconstrued  my  meaning  in  that 
letter,  I  have  now  to  request,  in  positive  terms,  that  you  do  immediately,  on  receipt  of 
this,  resign  your  command  to  Col.  Gibson,  who  will  immediately  thereupon  assume  the 
same  command  as  has  been  committed  to  you. 

"  In  the  meantime,  I  request  that  this  unhappy  dispute  may  be  brought  to  as  speedy 

an  issue  as  possible. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

••  Geo.  Washington. 
"  Col.  Brodhead." 

^Gibson  to  Washington,  September  30,  1781,  MS.  Daniel  Brodhead  was  born  at  Mar- 
bletown,  Ulster  county,  New  York,  in  1736.  His  great  grandfather,  Daniel  Brodhead, 
was  a  royalist  and  captain  of  grenadiers  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  He  came  with  the 
expedition  under  Colonel  Nichols  in  1664,  thai  captured  tho  Netherlands  (now  New 
York)  from  the  Dutch,  and  settled  in  Marblelown  in  1005.  His  son  Richard,  and  his  son 
Daniel,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  also  resided  in  Mar  bletown.  Daniel 
Brodhead,  Br.,  In  1730,  removed  to  a  place  called  Danevllle,  on  Brodhead's  creek,  near 
Btroudsburgh,  Monroe  county,  Pennsylvania,  when  Daniel  Brodhead,  Jr.,  was  an  infant. 
The  latter  and  his  brothers  became  famous  for  their  courage  in  conflicts  with  the  In- 


Introduction.  63 


The  western  department  was,  at  this  time,  in  much  con- 
fusion. When  the  savages  were  at  the  Moravian  Indian 
villages  upon  the  Tuscarawas,  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  mis- 
sionaries that  the  enemy  expected  to  be  joined  by  a  party 
from  Canada,  consisting  of  British  Americans  and  Indians,  to 
the  number  of  a  thousand,  who  were  reported  to  be  on  their 
way.  "Guy  Johnson,"  wrote  Zeisberger  to  Brodhead,  "is 
coming  down  by  Presque  Isle  [now  Erie,  Pennsylvania]  with 
a  thousand  men  to  make  a  diversion  and  stop  General  [George 
Rogers]  Clark's  proceeding  down  the  river  [Ohio];  because 
they  had  intelligence  that  he  [Clark]  would  come  to  Detroit 
with  an  army." 1  There  was  some  foundation  for  this  report. 
It  was  proposed  by  the  authorities  in  Canada  (though  after- 
wards given  up)  to  make  a  diversion  from  that  country  to 
co-operate,  by  way  of  Fort  Pitt,  with  an  expedition  from  the 
southern  army  of  the  British,  np  the  rivers  Potomac  and 
Susquehanna.2 

x\t  this  juncture,  Fort  Pitt  was  little  better  than  a  heap  of 
ruins.  The  regular  force  stationed  there  was  wholly  incom- 
petent  to   the   exigencies  of   the   service.     The    controversy 

dinns  on  the  border,  their  father's  house  having  been  attacked  by  the  savages  December 
11th,  1755.  Daniel  became  a  resident  of  Reading  in  1771,  where  he  was  deputy  surveyor. 
In  July,  1775,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  from  Berks  county  to  the  provincial  conven- 
tion at  Philadelphia.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  Daniel  was  elected  a 
lieutenant-colonel  (commissioned  October  25,  1776),  and  subsequently  became  colonel 
of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment;  his  promotion  was  March  12,  1777,  to  rank  from 
September  29,  1776.  Ue  participated  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  in  other  battles 
in  which  Washington's  army  was  engaged.  He  marched  to  Fort  Pitt,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  in  the  summer  of  1778,  his  regiment  forming  a  part  of  Brigadier-General 
Lachlan  Mcintosh's  command  in  the  western  department.  Here,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
served  until  the  next  spring,  when  he  succeeded  to  the  command  in  the  west,  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Pitt.  He  retained  this  position  until  September  17,  1781,  as  above 
mentioned,  making  a  very  efficient  and  active  commander,  twice  leading  expeditions 
into  the  Indian  country,  in  boih  of  which  he  was  successful;  but  was  superseded  in  his 
command  at  Pittsburgh  by  Colonel  John  Gibson,  as  indicated  in  Washington's  letter 
to  that  officer,  just  given.  Brodhead  was,  at  that  date,  colonel  of  the  1st  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  to  which  position  he  was  assigned  January  17,  1781.  After  the  war,  he  was 
surveyor  general  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  appointed  to  that  office  November  3,  1789, 
and  held  the  place  eleven  years,  he  having  previously  served  in  the  general  assembly. 
He  died  at  Milford,  Pike  county,  in  that  state,  November  15,1809.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. By  his  first  wife  he  had  two  children;  by  his  second,  none.  In  1872,  at  Milford, 
an  appropriate  monument  was  erected  to  his  memory. 

'Zeisberger  to  Brodhead,  August  18,  1781,  MS.,  previously  cited.  Compare  also, 
Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  IV,  p.  248. 

2  Ilaldimand  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  September  29,  1731,  in  Vermont  Hist.  Soc.  Coll., 
II,  p.  212. 


Wash iiKjton- Irvine  Correspondence. 


about  the  command  of  the  post  had  greatly  increased  the  dis- 
order. The  garrison  was  in  want  of  pay,  of  clothing,  of  even 
subsistence  itself,  and,  as  a  consequence,  was  in  a  mutinous 
condition.  The  militia  of  the  department  was  without  proper 
organization;  and  when  called  into  service,  destitute,  to  a 
great  extent,  of  military  knowledge  and  discipline. 

The  civil  government  of  the  country  was  even  in  a  worse 
state  than  the  military,  on  account  of  the  excitement  regard- 
ing the  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Both 
states,  before  the  war,  had  asserted  their  claims  to,  and  exer- 
cised an  organized  jurisdiction  over,  the  disputed  territory. 
As  between  the  two  commonwealths,  the  quarrel  was  brought 
to  an  end,  virtually,  in  1779;  but  bitter  feeling  still  existed 
among  the  people  —  the  line  was  not  yet  run.  As  a  conse- 
quence of  having  long  contemned  the  authority  of  a  neigh- 
boring state,  many  had  come  into  open  disrespect  of  their 
own.  Hence,  there  was  a  restlessness  prevailing  in  the  coun- 
try, and  a  desire,  on  the  part  of  some,  to  emigrate  into  the 
wilderness  beyond  the  Ohio  to  form  a  new  state. 

Such  was  the  disorder  —  the  confusion  —  which  beset  the 
western  department  at  the  moment  of  the  threatened  invasion. 
Washington  fully  appreciated  the  difficulties.  Something 
must  be  done  and  done  quickly.  Above  all  things,  a  com- 
mander was  needed  at  Fort  Pitt,  possessed  not  only  of  courage 
and  firmness,  but  of  prudence  and  judgment.  The  com- 
mander-in-chief, with  great  care  and  concern,  looked  about 
him  for  such  a  person.  His  choice  for  the  position,  after  due 
deliberation,  fell  upon  a  resident  of  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  an 
officer  at  the  head  of  the  second  brigade  of  that  state  — 
Brigadier  General  William  Irvine. 


//'"  V-,,,. 


• 


Introduction.  65 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  WILLIAM  IRVINE. 

"William  Irvine  was  born  in  county  Fermanagh,  Ireland, 
November  3,  1741.  His  ancestry  originally  emigrated  from 
Scotland.  His  elementary  education  commenced  at  a  gram- 
mar school  in  Enniskillen,  and  was  completed  at  the  college 
of  Dublin.  He  then  entered  the  army  as  a  cornet,  but  owing 
to  a  quarrel  with  his  colonel  resigned  his  commission.  He 
afterward  became  a  student  of  medicine  and  surgery,  receiv- 
ing, at  the  close  of  his  studies,  an  appointment  as  surgeon  of 
a  British  ship  of  war.  This  was  during  the  old  French  war. 
"While  in  the  line  of  duty,  he  became  acquainted  with  the 
condition  of  society  in  this  country;  and,  a  few  months  after 
the  declaration  of  peace,  he  came  to  America,  settling  in  the 
interior  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  afterward  married  Anne 
Callender,  daughter  of  Robert  Callender.  The  result  of  the 
marriage  was  a  family  of  ten  children  — five  sons  and  five 
daughters.  At  Carlisle,  his  place  of  residence,  he  soon  gained 
the  general  confidence  of  the  people,  both  as  citizen  and  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Irvine  early  took  part  in  the  controversy  which  resulted  in 
national  independence.  A  meeting  was  held  in  Philadelphia, 
followed  by  similar  assemblages  in  different  counties.  A  pro- 
vincial convention  assembled  in  that  city  July  15, 1774,  which 
promptly  recommended  the  selection  and  sitting  of  a  general 
congress  and  passed  resolutions  of  the  most  patriotic  charac- 
ter. Of  this  convention,  Irvine  was  a  diligent  and  influential 
member. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  1776,  he  was  appointed  (his  com- 
mission being  dated  the  9th)  to  raise  and  command  a  regiment 
—  the  sixth  of  the  Pennsylvania  line.  At  its  head,  he  marched 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Richelieu  in  Canada.  On  the  7th 
5 


66  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

of  June,  his  regiment  and  three  companies  of  Colonel  Anthony 
Wayne's  embarked  in  batteaux,  under  command  of  Gen. 
Thorn pson,  and  proceeded  to  Nicolet,  where  they  were  joined  by 
Col.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  who  had  almost  seven  hundred  men  un- 
der his  command.  An  attempt  was  then  made  against  the 
vanguard  of  the  British  army,  stationed  at  Three  Rivers, 
about  forty  miles  below,  in  hopes  to  surprise  it,  but  result- 
ing in  the  loss  to  the  Americans  of  about  twenty-five  men 
killed  and  two  hundred  made  prisoners.  Of  the  latter  were 
the  general  in  command  and  Colonel  Irvine,  who  were  carried 
to  Quebec.  Irvine  was  not  exchanged  until  April  21, 1778, 
although  released  on  parol  August  3d,  after  his  capture. 

Irvine  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  second  Penn- 
sylvania brigade,  being  commissioned  brigadier-general  May 
12,  1779.  From  the  date  of  his  exchange  as  a  prisoner  of  war, 
his  career  was  an  honorable  one  both  as  patriot  and  soldier. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  service.  lie  was  in  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  where  he  won  special  honors.  But  history  has 
been  strangely  silent  concerning  them.  He  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  northern  campaigns  until  the  revolt  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania line  at  the  beginning  of  1781.  After  this,  he  was 
employed  in  recruiting,  until,  in  September  of  that  year,  he 
was  ordered  by  congress,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Wash- 
ington, to  the  command  of  the  western  department,  head. quar- 
ters at  Fort  Pitt,  Pittsburgh. 

Irvine  assumed  command  in  the  west  early  in  November, 
1781.  His  first  efforts  were  directed  to  the  re-formation  of 
the  continental  forces  stationed  at  Pittsburgh. 

Not  very  long  after  his  arrival,  he  received  instructions  to 
employ  his  garrison  in  repairing  the  fort.  lie  immediately 
began  the  task,  so  as  to  meet,  if  possible,  any  emergency  which 
might  arise  in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  enemy.  New  pickets 
were  prepared;  and,  to  encourage  the  soldiers,  Irvine  labored 
with  his  own  hands.  This  had  a  happy  effect.  Every  officer 
followed  his  example.  The  greatest  activity  prevailed.  In  a 
short  time  the  fort  was  put  in  a  tolerable  condition  for  a  suc- 
cessful defense.  But  the  work  did  not  stop  here.  It  was  con- 
tinued for  many  months.     In  January,  1782,  Irvine  left  his 


Introduction.  67 


post  for  a  short  visit  to  his  home  in  Carlisle,  and  to  confer 
with  congress  and  the  commander-in-chief  concerning  affairs 
in  the  western  department;  having,  however,  previous  to  his 
departure,  put  the  frontiers  in  as  good  state  of  defense  as  was 
practicable.  Colonel  John  Gibson  was  in  command  during  his 
absence. 

On  the  Sth  of  March,  Washington  sent  instructions  to  Irvine 
at  Carlisle  to  proceed  with  all  convenient  despatch  to  Fort 
Pitt,  and  when  he  should  have  arrived  there  to  take  such  meas- 
ures for  the  security  of  the  post  and  for  the  defense  of  the 
western  frontier,  as  the  continental  force  there  stationed,  com- 
bined with  the  militia  of  the  neighboring  country,  would  ad- 
mit. He  reached  that  post  on  the  25th,  finding,  upon  his 
arrival,  the  country  people  in  a  frenzy  of  excitement  because 
of  Indian  raids.  James  Marshel,  the  lieutenant  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  had  ordered  out  some  militia  to 
march  across  the  Ohio  river  to  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas, 
there  to  attack  some  hostile  savages  believed  to  be  occupying 
what  for  a  short  time  previous  had  been  the  deserted  villages 
of  the  Moravian  Indians.  The  force  was  commanded  by 
David  Williamson.  Upon  his  arrival,  he  found  a  considerable 
number  of  men,  women  and  children  of  "Moravians,"  and,  it 
is  said,  some  warriors.  In  the  end,  all  were  killed  except 
two  boys,  who  made  their  escape. 

The  garrisons  at  Forts  Pitt  and  Mcintosh  were,  upon  the 
commander's  return,  in  a  mutinous  condition.  Great  firmness 
had  to  be  exercised  by  Irvine.  The  result  was,  before  the  end 
of  May,  besides  the  frequent  application  of  "one  hundred 
lashes  well  laid  on,"  two  of  the  soldiers  suffered  the  death 
penalty.  Meanwhile,  owing  to  the  increased  boldness  of  the 
savages  in  penetrating  into  the  exposed  settlements,  the  country 
people  became  clamorous  to  be  led  against  the  Wyandot  towns 
upon  the  Sandusky  river,  in  what  is  now  northwestern  Ohio, 
whence  came  the  greater  portion  of  the  warriors  depredating 
upon  the  western  border  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  so  much  of  Vir- 
ginia as  lay  upon  the  upper  Ohio  river.  Irvine  finally  gave  his 
consent  to  an  expedition  against  these  Indians,  and  exerted  him- 
self to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  forward  the  enterprise;  issuing 


68  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

instructions  to  the  one  to  be  elected  to  command  for  his 
guidance.  The  campaign  proved  unsuccessful,  the  borderers 
suffering  a  loss  of  about  fifty  men.  Colonel  William  Craw- 
ford, who  led  them  into  the  wilderness,  was  captured  by  sav- 
ages and  burned  at  the  stake. 

Notwithstanding  the  departure  of  the  volunteers  against 
Sandusky,  Irvine  did  not  relax  his  watchful  care  over  the  in- 
habitants upon  the  border.  A  large  portion  of  his  time, 
after  the  return  of  the  expedition  until  fall,  was  taken  up  in 
preparing  for  another  enterprise  against  the  same  Indian 
settlements.  This  expedition  he  was  to  command  in  person. 
However,  upon  the  assurance  of  the  commander-in-chief  of 
the  British  forces  in  America  that  the  savages  had  all  been  re- 
quired to  desist  from  further  hostilities,  it  was,  by  order  of 
General  Washington,  laid  aside.  The  ensuing  winter  brought 
with  it,  occurrences  of  but  little  moment  in  the  western  de- 
partment. Irvine  again  visited  his  home  in  the  spring,  ar- 
riving there  in  March,  1783.  He  left  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Stephen  Bayard  in  command  at  Fort  Pitt. 

Not  long  subsequent  to  his  reaching  Carlisle,  he  wrote 
"Washington  congratulating  him  upon  the  glorious  news  of 
peace  which  had  just  arrived  in  America.  "With  great  sin- 
cerity," was  the  reply  of  the  commander-in-chief,  "I  return 
you  my  congratulations."  At  the  request  of  Washington, 
Irvine  again  returned  to  Pittsburgh,  arriving  out  in  May; 
here  he  remained  until  his  final  departure  on  the  1st  day  of 
October,  1783,  when  he  turned  over  his  command  to  a  small 
continental  force,  his  garrison  having  previously  been  fur- 
loughed,  except  a  small  detachment. 

Irvine  returned  to  his  home  in  Carlisle,  with  health  much 
impaired  by  exposure  in  the  service.  Pennsylvania  acknowl- 
edged her  gratitude  for  his  labors  by  the  donation  of  a  valua- 
ble tract  of  land  on  Lake  Erie,  below  Erie,  Pennsylvania, 
known,  afterward,  as  "  Irvine's  Reserve." 

The  general  was  a  member  of  the  council  of  censors  of  his 
state  in  1783  and  1781.  On  the  2Gth  of  March,  1785,  he  was 
appointed  to  examine  and  select  the  donation  lands  promised 
the  troops  of  Pennsylvania,     lie  reported  the  result  of  his 


Introduction.  GO 


mission  in  November  following.  lie  advised  the  acquisition 
by  purchase  from  the  United  States  of  the  "  triangle,"  which 
gave  to  his  state  a  frontage  (and  one  of  the  best  harbors)  on 
Lake  Erie.  He  was  afterward  elected  a  member  of  congress 
from  the  Cumberland  district  (1786-8)  under  the  confedera- 
tion. He  took  an  early  interest  in  internal  improvements,  not 
only  of  his  own  state  but  of  the  country  at  large.  In  1790, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of 
Pennsylvania,  which  framed  the  constitution  adopted  Septem- 
ber 2nd,  of  that  year.  In  1791,  he  was  a  commissioner  to 
establish  the  boundary  line  between  the  counties  of  Hunting- 
don and  Mifflin,  his  state,  which  had  been  in  dispute.  He 
settled  the  difficulty  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties. 
Irvine  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners  appointed 
to  arrange  the  national  account  between  the  several  states  and 
the  general  government,  which  began  with  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence. The  labors  of  the  commission  were  concluded  on 
the  29th  of  June,  1793,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

Irvine  was  again  honored,  by  the  voters  of  the  Cumberland 
district,  with  a  seat  in  congress  —  this  time,  elected  to  the 
third  congress  (1793-1795),  under  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  In  1794,  he  was  appointed  a  commissioner 
with  Andrew  Elliott,  to  lay  out  the  towns  of  Erie,  Waterford, 
Warren  and  Franklin,  Pennsylvania;  he  was  also  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  in  an  endeavor  to  settle  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  so-called  "Whisky  Insurrection"  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania. Negotiations,  however,  failed  and  troops  were  ordered 
to  march  against  the  insurgents.  Irvine  as  senior  major  gen- 
eral commanded  the  Pennsylvanians  under  Governor  Mifflin. 
A  successful  march  of  the  forces  from  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  those  from  New  Jersey,  Maryland  and  Yirginia,  re- 
sulted in  quelling  the  disturbance. 

General  Irvine  was  one  of  the  thirteen  presidential  electors 
of  Pennsylvania  chosen  in  1797,  when  John  Adams  was  elected 
president.  In  1798,  he  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of 
the  Pennsylvania  proportion  of  the  quota  of  eight  thousand 
militia  ordered  out  by  congress  to  serve  during  the  expected 
French  war.     Upon  the  election  of  Jefferson  to  the  presidency. 


70  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

Irvine  was  appointed  intendant  of  military  stores  —  an  im- 
portant office,  as  it  included  the  charge  of  arsenals,  ordnance, 
supplies  of  the  army,  and  supervision  of  Indian  affairs.  lie 
was  afterward  made  president  of  the  Pennsylvania  society  of 
the  Cincinnati,  he  having  been  elected  treasurer  at  its  first 
organization  on  the  4th  of  October,  17S3.  He  died  in  Phila- 
delphia (to  which  place  he  had  removed  from  Carlisle)  of  an 
inflammatory  disorder,  on  the  29th  of  July,  1804.  He  was  a 
zealous  patriot,  a  judicious  statesman,  an  able  military  com- 
mander. In  a  word,  he  was  a  careful,  intelligent,  and  con- 
scientious executor  of  all  public  trusts  confided  to  his  man- 
agement, and  was  noted  as  a  man  of  incorruptible  integrity. 


THE   WASHINGTON-IRVINE  LETTERS. 


I.  —  "Washington  to  Bkig.-Gen.  William  Irvine. 

Headquarters  near  York,  November  1,  1781. 

Sir: —  During  the  time  of  my  being  occupied  in  the  siege 
of  York,1  I  received  a  letter  from  Colonel  Gibson,2  command- 
ing, at  that  time,  at  Fort  Pitt,3  inclosing  sundry  proceedings 
of  courts  martial  held  at  that  post,  among  which  are  two  cap- 
ital cases,  on  which  sentences  of  death  are  decreed  by  the  court. 

Being  informed  by  congress  that  you  have  been  ordered  to 

1  Yorktown  was  completely  invested  by  the  American  and  French  forces  on 
the  thirtieth  of  September,  1781.  On  the  nineteenth  of  October  following, 
Lord  Cornwallia  surrendered.  General  Washington  remained  at  his  "  Head- 
quarters near  York  "  until  the  fifth  of  November,  when  he  proceeded  by  way 
of  Mount  Vernon  to  Philadelphia.  It  was  five  days  before  his  departure  that 
the  above  letter  to  Irvine  was  written,  as  its  date  indicates. 

2  Col.  John  Gibson,  of  the  seventh  Virginia  regiment,  who  has  already  been 
frequently  mentioned.  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Gibson,  see  note  to  his 
letter  to  Irvine  of  Jan.  28,  1782,  Appendix  M. 

3  A  fort  —  Duquesne  —  was  built  a;  this  point  —  Pittsburgh  —  by  the  French 
at  the  commencement  of  the  old  French  war,  but  was  burned  by  them  in  1758, 
immediately  before  the  occupation  of  the  place  by  the  British  under  General 
Forbes.  It  was  a  strong  fortification  of  earth  and  wood  stockaded.  In  De- 
cember, 1758,  the  British  erected  a  small  stockade,  with  bastions,  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  ruins  of  the  French  post.  The  next  year,  however,  was 
commenced  a  more  formidable  fortification.  It  was  near  the  site  of  Fort  Du- 
quesne, and  was  named  Fort  Pitt.  It  remained  in  possession  of  a  British 
force  until  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1772,  when  it  was  abandoned  and  con- 
siderably, though  not  wholly,  destroyed.  During  the  year  1773  a  citizen  of 
Pittsburgh  —  Edward  Ward  —  had  possession  of  what  was  left.  It  was,  in 
1774,  re-occupied  and  somewhat  repaired  by  Captain  John  Conolly,  under  or- 
ders from  Lord  Dunmore,  as  a  Virginia  post,  and  its  name  changed  to  Fort 
Dunmore,  though  the  Pennsylvanians  still  adhered  to  "  Fort  Pitt,"  which  name 
was  fully  restored  when  Dunmore  became  odious  to  Virginia.  It  was  vacated 
by  Conolly  just  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution.  Its  first  occupation 
after  that  struggle  began  was  by  Virginia  troops  under  Captain  John  Neville, 
in  1775,  as  previously  related,  who  were  superceded  early  in  1777  by  others 
raised  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Pittsburgh.  (See  Introduction, 
p.  8,  note  3.)  Following  these, as  already  mentioned,  was  a  continental  garri- 
son, first  under  Brigadier  General  Edward  Hand,  afterward  under  Brigadier 


Wash  ington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


the  command  of  that  post,1  I  have  to  inform  you  that  the  sen- 
tence of  Meyndert  Fisher,  one  of  the  above,  is  not  approved; 
and  that  upon  application  from  his  friends  and  some  particu- 
lar information  respecting  him,  I  have  to  request  that  he  be 
liberated  from  his  confinement. 

The  case  of  John  Hinds  I  know  nothing  of  more  than  is 
contained  in  his  trial.  You  will,  therefore,  please  to  order 
him  to  execution,  or  pardon  him,  as  you  shall  think  particular 
circumstances  and  the  necessity  of  example  may  require.2 


II. —  Irvine  to  "Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  2,3  1781. 
Sir: — At  the  time  congress  directed  me  to  repair  to  this 
place,4  I  took  for  granted  your  excellency  would  have  infor- 
mation thereof,  through  different  channels;  and  knowing  how 

General  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  whose  successor  was  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead, 
followed  by  Colonel  John  Gibson,  in  command  in  October,  1781,  as  indicated 
in  the  above  letter. 

1  The  orders  of  congress  were  expressed  in  the  following  resolutions,  passed 
by  that  body  September  24,  1781: 

"  Resolved,  That  Brigadier  General  Irvine  be  and  hereby  is  ordered  to  re- 
pair forthwith  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  take  upon  him  the  command  of  that  garrison 
until  further  orders. 

"  That  Brigadier  General  Irvine  be  and  hereby  is  authorized  ^md  directed  to 
arrange  the  troops  which  compose  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pitt  and  its  dependen- 
cies in  such  manner  as  to  retain  no  more  officers  than  are  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  number  of  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  at  those  parts. 

"  That  Brigadier  General  Irvine  to  and  hereby  is  authorized  and  directed 
to  arrange  the  staff  departments  within  his  command  so  as  to  retain  no  moro 
officers  or  persons  in  those  departments  than  the  service  absolutely  demands. 

"  That  he  be  and  hereby  is  further  empowered  to  call  in  from  time  to  time 
such  aids  of  militia  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  defense  of  the  post  under  his 
command  and  the  protection  of  the  country.  And,  for  this  purpose,  the  exec- 
utives of  the  states  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  are  requested  to  direct  tho 
proper  officers  of  the  militia  in  their  respective  slates  to  obey  such  orders  a3 
they  shall  from  time  to  time  receive  from  Brigadier  General  Irvine  for  the 
purpose  aforesaid." 

2  Irvine,  of  course,  liberated  Fisher.  What  action  was  taken  in  Hind's 
case,  a  note  to  the  next  letter  shows. 

*Thc  day  of  the  month  is  omitted  in  this  letter  as  copied  in  Irvine's  letter- 
book,  but  is  inserted,  as  above,  in  the  original  sen:  Washington. 
*  The  instructions  given  by  congress  to  Irvine,  who  was  then  in  Phdadel- 


Irvine  to  Washington.  73 

very  particularly  you  were  at  that  moment  engaged,1  I  did  not 
think  proper  to  give  unnecessary  trouble.  This,  I  flatter 
myself,  will  excuse  me  to  your  excellency  for  not  writing 
sooner.     Previous  to  my  arrival,2  Colonel  Gibson  had  received 

phia,  were  dated  September  24,  1781.  He  did  not  leave  the  city  immediately 
for  Pittsburgh,  for  the  reason  that  a  "small  supply  of  cash  "  expected  from 
congress  had  not  been  received.  The  time  of  his  starting  for  Carlisle  and  the 
west  was,  probably,  on  the  9th  of  October,  as  the  following  letter  written  by 
the  president  of  congress  to  the  president  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of 
Pennsylvania,  indicates  (a  similar  one  being  sent  the  governor  of  Virginia): 

Philadelphia,  October  8th,  1781. 
"Sir: — As  Brigadier- General  Irvine  proposes  to  set  out  to-morrow  in  order 
to  take  command  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  may  very  probably  have  occasion  for  the 
aid  of  the  militia  in  the  vicinity  of  that  post,  I  thought  it  proper  to  procure  a 
copy  of  his  instructions  and  to  transmit  them  to  you.  They  are  accordingly 
herewith  enclosed;  and  I  rest  assured  every  suitable  measure  will  be  adopted 
for  affording  him  effectual  support  by  the  militia  in  cas3  of  necessity.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be,  with  the  highest  respect,  sir,  your  excellency's  most  obedient 
servant,  Tno.  McKean,  President. 

"  His  Excellency  Joseph  Reed,  Esquire." 

1  Washington  and  Rochambeau  reached  LaFayette's  headquarters  near  Wil- 
liamsburg, on  the  14th  of  September.  Here  they  remained  until  the  30th, 
when  they  completely  invested  Yorktown.  Irvine's  appointment  to  the  west- 
ern department  was  made  by  congress  (24  Sept.)  during  the  active  operations 
of  Washington,  immediately  preceding  the  commencement  of  the  siege. 
This  work  was  what  Irvine  refers  to  as  engaging  the  particular  attention  of 
the  commander-in-chief. 

2  The  exact  day  of  the  arrival  of  General  Irvine  at  Fort  Pitt  and  his  assum- 
ing command  of  the  post,  is  not  known.  The  following  is  the  first  entry  in 
his  orderly  book: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  Nov.  6th,  1781. 
"Parole,  General.  Countersign,  Joy. 

"  General  Irvine  has  the  pleasure  to  congratulate  the  troops  on  the  great  and 
glorious  news.  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  the  troops  under  his  command,  sur- 
rendered prisoners  of  war  on  the  19th  of  October  last,  to  the  allied  army  of 
America  and  France,  under  the  immediate  command  of  his  Excellency  Gen- 
eral Washington.  The  prisoners  amount  to  upwards  of  five  thousand  regular 
troops,  near  two  thousand  tories,  and  as  many  negroes,  besides  a  number  of 
merchants  and  other  followers. 

"Thirteen  pieces  of  artillery  will  be  fired  this  day  at  1  o'clock,  in  the  fort, 
at  which  time  the  troops  will  be  under  arms,  with  their  colors  displayed.  The 
commissary  will  issue  a  gill  of  liquor  extraordinary  to  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  on  this  joyful  occasion. 

"Accurate  regimental  returns  [are]  to  be  made  to-morrow  morning  at 


7£  Wash  ington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

your  letter  directing  him  to  take  the  command,  which  was  ac- 
quiesced in  by  Colonel  Brodhead;  and  things  went  on  in  the 
usual  channel,  except  that  the  dispute1  occasioned  Colonel 
Gibson's  intended  expedition  against  Sandusky  being  laid 
aside,2  and  perhaps  it  also  prevented  many  other  necessary  ar- 
rangements. The  examination  of  evidences  on  the  charges 
against  Colonel  Brodhead,  is  still  taking,  and  I  am  informed 
will  continue  some  weeks.3 

Agreeable  to  my  orders  from  congress,  to  retain  no  more 
officers  here  than  sufficient  for  the  men,  I  have  made  the  fol- 
lowing arrangements:  re-formed  the  remains  of  the  late  eighth 
Pennsylvania  regiment  into  two  companies,  and  call  them  a 
detachment  from  the  Pennsylvania  line,  to  be  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Bayard.4  Baron  Steuben  had  some  time 
a^o  directed  Colonel  Gibson  to  re-form  his  regiment5  also  into 
two  companies,  retaining  with  him  the  staff  of  the  regiment; 
and  to  send  all  the  supernumerary  officers  down  into  Virginia. 

9  o'clock,  of  the  officers  and  dates  of  their  commissions,  together  with  rolls  of 
non-commissioned  officers,  drums,  fifes,  and  privates. —  accounting  for  every 
man,  where  he  is,  how  employed,  and  time  so  employed.1' 

1  The  dispute  here  spoken  of  was  the  one  already  mentioned  as  subsisting, 
previous  to  Brodhead's  yielding  the  direction  of  affairs  at  Fort  Pitt  to  Gibson, 
between  these  two  officers  as  to  the  right  of  command. 

2  "  The  intended  expedition  against  Sandusky  "  was  an  enterprise  against 
the  Wyandots  and  other  hostile  Indians  located  upon  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Sandusky  river  in  what  is  now  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state  of  Ohio, 
which  had  been  planned,  as  heretofore  stated,  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  which  "the 
dispute  "  caused  to  be  "laid  aside." 

3  Charges,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  preferred  against  Brodhead, 
among  other  things  for  speculating  with  public  money,  to  substantiate  which, 
witnesses  were  then  being  examined.     He  was  afterward  honorably  acquitted. 

4The  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment,  under  command  of  Daniel  Brodhead 
as  colonel,  marched,  as  previously  explained,  to  Fort  Pitt  in  the  summer  of 
177-  to  take  part  in  an  expedition  under  Brigadier-General  Lachlan  Mcintosh 
against  Detroit.  The  enterprise,  it  has  already  been  seen,  proved  abortive, 
but  the  regiment  remained  in  tin*  western  department;  when,  upon  the  ar- 
rival of  Irvine,  "its  remains"  were  re-formed  into  a  "detachment  from  the 
Pennsylvania  line,"  to  be  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Stephen  Bayard, 
ae  ab  a-'  iiidi  :ated;  the  whole  consisted  of  only  two  companies,  the  first  com- 
mand id  by  C  ip  .  Clark  and  Lieuts.  Peterson  and  Reed;  the  second  by  C'apt. 
Bradj  its.  Ward  and  Morrison. 

1  The  seventh  Virginia  regiment,  afterward  the  first.     This  regiment,  pre- 


Irvine  to  Washington.  75 

The  re-formation  was  so  made;  but  the  officers  were  so  dis- 
tressed for  want  of  clothing  and  other  necessaries,  that  they 
were  not  able  to  proceed.  However  they  are  now  making  ex- 
ertions, and  I  hope  will  soon  set  out.  I  have  ordered  the 
supernumerary  officers  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  to  repair  forth- 
with to  their  proper  regiments  in  the  line.1  The  whole  of  the 
troops,  here,  are  thrown  into  four  companies.  I  have  been 
trying  to  economize;  but  every  thing  is  in  so  wretched  a  state, 
that  there  is  very  little  in  my  power.  I  never  saw  troops  cut 
so  truly  a  deplorable,  and  at  the  same  time  despicable,  a  figure. 
Indeed,  when  I  arrived,  no  man  would  believe  from  their  ap- 
pearance that  they  were  soldiers;  nay,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
determine  whether  they  were  white  men.  Though  they  do 
not  yet  come  up  to  my  wishes,  yet  they  are  some  better. 

As  it  does  not  rest  with  me  to  decide  on  the  propriety  or 
impropriety  of  any  person's  conduct,  I  shall  only  make  a  few 
general  observations.  The  consumption  of  public  stores  has, 
in  my  opinion,  been  enormous,  particularly  military  stores; 
and  I  fear  the  reason  given  for  it  will  not  be  justifiable,  namely: 
that  the  militia  would  all  fly  if  they  had  not  powder  and  lead 
given  them,  not  only  when  in  service,  but  also  to  keep  in  their 
houses.     It  is  true  the  county  lieutenants,2  and  others  who  are 

viously  the  ninth,  was  originally  the  thirteenth  Virginia.  It  was  raised  west 
of  the  mountains  largely  through  the  exertions  of  Col.  William  Crawford,  and 
was  known  on  the  border  as  the  "West  Augusta  regiment;"  so  called  from 
the  district  of  West  Augusta,  Virginia. 

1  The  supernumerary  officers  included  Colonel  Brodhead,  Major  Frederick 
Vernon  and  others.  The  two  named,  under  the  arrangement  then  in  force, 
belonged  to  the  first  Pennsylvania  regiment.  Stephen  Bayard  was  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  same  regiment  (afterward,  January  1,  1783,  of  the  third);  but 
he  remained  at  Fort  Pitt,  as  already  explained,  in  command  of  the  "detach- 
ment from  the  Pennsylvania  line." 

2  According  to  the  militia  laws  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  each  company 
was  commanded  by  a  captain,  two  lieutenants  and  an  ensign;  each  batallion 
by  a  colonel,  lieutenant  colonel  and  major;  and  the  whole  in  a  county  by  a 
county  lieutenant.  Besides  this  the  latter  officer  had  a  general  supervision  of 
military  affairs  within  his  county,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  The  western  de- 
partment, at  the  date  of  Irvine's  arrival  at  Fort  Pitt,  included  the  counties  of 
Westmoreland  and  Washington  in  Pennsylvania,  Monongalia  and  Ohio  in 
Virginia;  in  each  of  which  there  was  a  county  lieutenant;  in  the  two  former 
counties,  there  were,  also,  sub-lieutenants. 


76  ~\Yaslnngton-Irvine  Correspondence. 

called  responsible  men,  have  promised  to  be  accountable;  but 
I  am  certain  not  an  ounce  can  ever  be  again  collected.  I 
find  by  the  returns,  that  near  two  thousand  pounds  of  powder, 
and  four  thousand  pounds  of  lead,  have  been  issued  to  the  mi- 
litia since  the  dispute  commenced  between  Colonels  Brodhead 
and  Gibson,  chiefly  by  orders  of  the  former,  besides  arms,  ac- 
coutrements, etc.,  and  not  a  man  called  into  actual  service. 
The  magazine  is  nearly  exhausted.  There  is  not  now  as  much 
remaining  as  has  been  issued  since  the  first  of  last  September. 
T  presume  your  excellency  has  been  informed  by  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  state  of  Virginia,1  or  General  Clark,2  of  the  fail- 
ure of  his  [Clark's]  expedition.3  But  lest  that  should  not  be 
the  case,  I  will  relate  all  the  particulars  that  have  come  to  my 
knowledge.  Captain  Craig,4  with  the  detachment  of  artillery 
under  him,  returned  here  the  2Gth  instant.5  lie  got  up  with 
much  difficulty  and  great  fatigue  to  the  men,  being  forty  days  on 
the  way,  occasioned  by  the  lowness  of  the  water,  lie  was  obliged 
to  throw  away  his  gun-carriages,  but  brought  his  pieces  and 
best  stores  safe.  He  left  General  Clark  at  the  rapids  [Louis- 
ville, Ky.];  and  says  the  general  was  not  able  to  prosecute  his 
intended  plan  of  operation  for  want  of  men,  being  able  to 
collect  in  the  whole  only  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty.  The 
buffalo  meat  was  all  rotten;  and,  he  adds,  the  general  is  ap- 


1  "  Richmond  (Virginia),  Dec.  29.  The  honorable  Thomas  Nelson,  Jr.,  Esq., 
our  late  governor,  having  resigned  on  account  of  ill  state  of  his  health,  the  hon- 
orable Benjamin  Harrison,  Esq.,  speaker  of  the  house  of  delegates,  is  elected 
in  his  room."— Penn.  Packet,  Jan.  10,  1782  (Xo.  831). 

2  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Geo.  Rogers  Clark,  see  Appendix  M, —  Clark 
to  Irvine,  August  10,  1782,  note. 

8  See  Introduction,  pp.  53-56. 

4  Captain  (afterward  Major)  Isaac  Craig  was,  as  we  have  before  seen,  in 
command,  at  Port  Pitt,  of  a  detachment  from  the  fourth  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment of  artillery,  and  of  a  detachment  of  artillery  artificers,  and  was  sent 
down  the  Ohio  with  Clark.  His  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  —  one  of  the  best 
disciplined  bodies,  of  soldiers  in  the  west.  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Craig, 
sec  Appendix  M, —  Craig  to  Irvine,  April  1,  1783,  note. 

5  "The  26th  instant;"  that  is,  the  2Gthof  November,  1781.  Irvine  evidently 
commenced  writing  his  letter  the  last  of  that  month  although  it  was  not  fin- 
ished until  the  2d  December. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  77 

prehensive  of  a  visit  from  Detroit,1  and  is  not  without  fears 
the  settlement  will  be  obliged  to  break  up,  unless  re-enforce- 
ments  soon  arrive  from  Virginia.  The  Indians  have  been  so 
numerous  in  that  country  that  all  the  inhabitants  have  been 
obliged  to  keep  close  in  forts,  and  the  general  could  not  ven- 
ture out  to  fight  them. 

A  Colonel  Lochry,  lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  county,  in 
Pennsylvania,  with  about  one  hundred  men  in  all,  composed  of 
volunteers  and  a  company  raised  by  Pennsylvania  for  the  de- 
fense of  said  county,  followed  General  Clark,  who,  it  is  said,  or- 
dered Lochry  to  join  him  at  the  mouth  of  Miami,  up  which  river 
it  had  previously  been  agreed  on  to  proceed.  But  General  Clark 
having  changed  his  plan,  left  a  small  party  at  the  Miami,  with 
directions  to  Lochry  to  proceed  on  to  the  falls  after  him,  with  the 
main  body.  Sundry  accounts  agree  that  this  party,  and  all 
Lochry's,  to  a  man,  were  waylaid  by  the  Indians  and  regulars 
(for  it  is  asserted  they  had  artillery)  and  all  killed  or  taken. 
No  man,  however,  escaped  either  to  join  General  Clark  or  re- 
turn home.  When  Captain  Craig  left  the  general,  he  could 
not  be  persuaded  but  that  Lochry  with  his  party  had  returned 
home.2  These  misfortunes  threw  the  people  of  this  country 
into  the  greatest  consternation  and  almost  despair,  particularly 
Westmoreland  county,  Lochry's  party  being  all  the  best  men 
of  their  frontier.  At  present,  they  talk  of  flying  early  in  the 
spring,  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountain,  and  are  daily 
flocking  to  me  to  enquire  what  support  they  may  expect. 

I  think  there  is  but  too  much  reason  to  fear  that  General 
Clark's  and  Colonel  Gibson's  expeditions  falling  through  will 

'At  this  date,  as  ever  since  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  Detroit 
was  the  center  of  British  power  and  influence  in  the  northwest.  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Henry  Hamilton  commanded  the  post  until  early  in  1779.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Major  Arent  Schuyler  De  Peyster.  Depredations  upon  the  exposed 
borders  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  ( including  Kentucky)  by  the  savages, 
drew,  to  a  great  extent,  their  inspiration  and  were  given  direction  from  this 
point.  (See  Introduction,  p.  7.)  Indian  expeditions  were  sometimes  under  the 
command  of  British  officers  accompanied  by  regulars  and  rangers.  It  was  a 
visit  of  this  nature  that  Clark,  in  the  fall  of  1781,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
stood  in  apprehension  of. 

8  See  Introduction,  pp.  55,  56;  also  Appendix  G,—  Irvine  to  Moore,  Decem- 
ber 3, 1781. 


Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


greatly  encourage  the  savages  to  fall  on  the  country  with 
double  fury,  and  perhaps  the  British  from  Detroit  to  visit  this 
post,  which,  instead  of  being  in  a  tolerable  state  of  defense,  is 
in  fact  nothing  but  a  heap  of  ruins.  I  need  not  inform  your 
excellency  that  it  is,  at  best,  a  bad  situation  for  defense.  I 
have  been  viewing  all  the  ground  in  this  vicinity,  and  find 
none  equal  for  a  post  to  the  mouth  of  Chartiers  creek,^about 
four  miles  down  the  river.  This  was  pointed  out  to  me  by 
Captain  [Thomas]  llutchins  [geographer],  before  I  left  Phila- 
delphia, who  says  there  is  no  place  equal  to  it  any  where 
within  forty  miles  of  Fort  Pitt. 

I  think  it  best  calculated,  on  many  accounts.  First,  the 
ground  is  such  that  works  may  be  constructed  to  contain  any 
number  of  men  you  please,  from  fifty  to  one  thousand.  It  is 
by  nature  almost  inaccessible  on  three  sides,  and  on  the  fourth 
no  commanding  ground  within  three  thousand  yards.  Sec- 
ondl}-,  as  it  would  effectually  cover  the  settlement  on  Char- 
tiers  creek,  the  necessity  for  keeping  a  post  at  Fort  Mcintosh2 
will  of  course  cease.  In  case  of  making  that  the  main  post,3 
Fort  Pitt  should  be  demolished,  all  except  the  north  bastion, 
on  which  a  strong  block-house  should  be  built.  A  small  party 
in  it  would  as  effectually  keep  up  a  communication  with  the 
settlement  on  Monongahela  as  the  whole  garrison  now  does; 
for  the  necessary  detachments  to  Fort  Mcintosh,  "Wheeling-, 

1  Chartiers  creek  rises  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  flows  a  north - 
northeast  course,  and  empties  into  the  Ohio  on  the  south  side,  four  miles  be- 
low Pittsburgh. 

2  See  Introduction,  p.  26. 

3  "Whether  the  point  recommended  was  MeKee's  rocks,  or  the  hill  immedi- 
ately west  of  the  mouth  of  the  creek  [Chartiers],  is  not  very  clear;  although 
the  assertion  that  there  was  no  commanding  ground  within  three  thousand 
yards,  would  incline  us  to  select  the  latter  as  the  point.  It  is  not  a  little  sin- 
gular that  the  general's  correspondent  [Washington]  bad,  twenty-seven  years 
before,  examined  the  point  at  the  junction  of  the  rivers  [Pittsburgh]  as  well 
as  McKee's  rocks,  and  expressed  his  opinion  in  favor  of  the  former." — Craig's 
Olden  Time,  Vol.  II,  pp.  532,  533. 

Before  Washington's  first  visit  to  this  country,  Christopher  Gist,  who  had 
been  appointed  surveyor  for  the  Ohio  company  and  was  familiar  with  both 
localities,  was  directed  to  lay  off  a  town  and  fort  near  tli"  mouth  of  Chartiers 
creek.     This  was  in  1752.     The  site  thus  selected  was  not  improved 


Irvine  to  Washington.  79 

etc.,  so  divide  the  troops  that  no  one  place  can  ever  be  held 
without  a  large  body  of  troops.  Indeed,  I  do  not  like  Fort 
Mcintosh  being  kept  a  post  in  the  present  situation  of  things. 

If  the  enemy  at  Detroit  should  take  it  into  their  heads  to 
make  us  a  visit,  that  would  be  an  excellent  place  for  them  to 
take  by  surprise;  whence  they  could  send  out  Indians  and 
other  partisans  to  lay  the  whole  country  waste  before  we  could 
dislodge  them.  We  have  (I  think  idly)  too  much  of  our  stores 
there.  I  have  been  making  efforts  to  bring  up  the  greater 
part;  but  though  it  is  almost  incredible,  yet  it  is  true  that,  of 
all  the  public  boats  built  here,  not  a  single  one  was  to  be  found 
N  when  I  came  here,  except  one  barge  and  one  flat.  I  expect 
two  boats  up,  loaded,  this  day.  It  is,  I  believe,  universally 
agreed  that  the  only  way  to  keep  Indians  from  harassing  the 
country  is  to  visit  them.  But  we  find,  by  experience,  that 
burning  their  empty  towns  has  not  the  desired  effect.  They 
can  soon  build  others.  They  must  be  followed  up  and  beaten, 
or  the  British,  whom  they  draw  support  from,  totally  driven 
out  of  their  country. 

I  believe  if  Detroit  was  demolished,  it  would  be  a  good  step 
towards  giving  some,  at  least  temporary,  ease  to  this  country. 
It  would  cost  them  at  least  a  whole  summer  to  rebuild  and 
establish  themselves;  for,  though  we  should  succeed  in  reduc- 
ing Detroit,  I  do  not  think  there  is  the  smallest  probability  of 
our  being  able  to  hold  it.  It  is  too  remote  from  supplies.  I 
have  been  endeavoring  to  form  some  estimates,  from  such  in- 
formation as  I  can  collect,  and  I  really  think  that  the  reduc- 
tion of  Detroit  would  not  cost  much  more,  nor  take  many 
more  men,  than  it  will  take  to  cover  and  protect  the  country 
by  acting  on  the  defensive.  If  I  am  well  informed,  it  will 
take  seven  or  eight  hundred  regular  troops  and  about  a  thou- 
sand militia;  which  number  could  pretty  easily  be  obtained 
for  that  purpose,  as  it  appears  to  be  a  favorite  scheme  over  all 
this  country.  The  principal  difficulty  would  be  to  get  provis- 
ions and  stores  transported.  As  to  taking  a  heavy  train  of 
artillery,  I  fear  it  would  not  only  be  impracticable,  but  an  in- 
cumbrance; two  field  pieces,  some  howitz,  and  perhaps  a  mor- 
tar [would  suffice].     I  do  not  think,  especially  under  present 


80  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

circumstances,  that  it  would  be  possible  to  carry  on  an  expe- 
dition in  such  a  manner  as  to  promise  success  by  a  regular 
siege.  I  would  therefore  propose  to  make  every  appearance 
of  setting  down  before  the  place,  as  if  to  reduce  it  by  regular 
approaches.  As  soon  as  I  found  the  enemy  fully  impressed 
with  this  idea,  attempt  it  at  once  by  assault. 

I  mean  to  write  to  congress  for  leave  to  go  down  the  coun- 
try  in  January,  to  return  in  March,  if  they  make  it  a  point 
that  I  should  continue  here.1  I  can  scarcely  think  they  will 
wish  me  to  remain  with  four  companies  of  men.  The  power 
of  calling  out  the  militia  of  this  country  is  more  ideal  than 
real,  especially  till  the  lines  between  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania are  determined,  and  actually  run.  Neither  civil  nor 
military  law  will  take  place  until  then.2     Whether  I  am  to  be 

'See  Irvine  to  the  president  of  congress,  3  Dec.,  1781,  Appendix  A. 

8  For  several  years,  the  country  around  the  head-waters  of  the  Ohio  had 
been  a  subject  of  dispute  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  the  boundary 
line  between  the  two  provinces  not  having  been  run.  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line  had  been  extended  from  the  northwest  corner  of  Maryland  to  a  point 
some  distance  west  of  the  Monongahela,  by  the  Penns  and  Lord  Baltimore, 
in  17C7;  but  with  this  line  Virginia  had  nothing  to  do.  This  province,  as 
early  as  1752,  began  to  assert  a  claim  to  what  was  afterwards  recognized  as 
southwest  Pennsylvania;  however,  the  quarrel  did  not  assume  a  very  threat- 
ening aspect  until  the  legislature  of  the  latter  province  embraced,  in  177o,  all 
the  disputed  territory  in  the  new  county  of  Westmoreland.  Lord  Dunmore 
as  governor  of  Virginia  then  attempted  to  enforce  jurisdiction  over  the  country 
about  Pittsburgh,  it  being  claimed  as  part  of  Augusta  county,  Virginia. 
"  Fort  Pitt  was  seized  by  a  band  of  armed  partisans,  headed  by  Captain  John 
Conolly,  and  its  name  changed  to  Fort  Dunmore.  New  counties  were  formed 
from  which  delegates  were  sent  to  the  Virginia  legislature.  Justices  and 
other  civil  officers  were  commissioned  by  the  authorities  of  Virginia.  Court 
houses  were  erected  and  Virginia  courts  regularly  held  within  the  limits  of 
the  present  counties  of  Alleghany  and  AVashington,  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
people  were  divided  in  their  allegiance;  arrests,  counter-arrests,  and  other 
violent  acts  frequently  occurred  during  this  seven  years'  contest.  The  break- 
ing out  of  the  revolutionary  war  in  1775,  and  a  recommendation  by  congress 
on  the  subject,  abated  the  civil  strife."  The  controversy  ended,  virtually,  in 
1779  and  the  following  year,  as  between  the  two  states,  Virginia  yielding  her 
claims  to  the  disputed  territory.  During  the  fall  of  1782,  a  temporary  line 
was  run  as  far  as  the  Ohio  river,  beginning,''  where  Bfason  ami  Dixon's  ended. 
But  this  was  subsequent  to  the  date  of  Irvine's  letter.  The  people,  therefore, 
were  still  "divided  in  their  allegiance;"  hence  it  was  that  neither  civil  nor 
military  laws  could  well  be  enforced  in  the  disputed  territory.     However,  as 


Irvine  to  Washington.  SI 

continued  here  or  not,  I  am  pretty  certain  it  might  be  of  use 
for  me  to  go  down,  in  order  the  better  to  concert  measures 
proper  to  be  taken  either  with  your  excellency  or  congress; 
for,  as  matters  now  stand,  it  is  clear  to  me  this  country  must 
be  given  up.  The  militia,  however,  promise  pretty  fair,  and 
I  have  had  no  ground  for  differing  with  them  yet.  There  are 
no  provisions  laid  in,  nor  is  there  even  sufficient  from  day  to 
day.  The  contract  made  by  Mr.  [Robert]  Morris  [superin- 
tendent of  finance],  for  supplying  this  post,  has  not  been  ful- 
filled on  the  part  of  the  contractor1  in  any  tolerable  degree; 
nor  would  the  contract  answer  here,  even  if  complied  with. 
However,  as  I  must  write  particularly  to  the  board  of  war  on 
this  subject,2  and  have  exceeded  the  moderate  bounds  of  a 
letter,  I  fear  I  have  already  tired,  and  taken  up  too  much  of 
your  excellency's  time. 

P.  S. —  I  have  been  told  of  three  persons  who  were  pris- 
oners with  the  enemy,  and  have  lately  made  their  escape.  I 
have  sent  in  search  of  them  but  could  not  find  them  out.  The 
lieutenant  of  Washington  county  [James  Marshel]  has  prom- 
ised to  bring  one  of  them  to  me  as  soon  as  possible.  If  they 
have  any  material  accounts,  I  shall  inform  your  excellency 

will  be  hereafter  seen,  Irvine  found  but  little  difficulty  in  calling  out  the  militia 
when  needed.  One  requisition  upon  the  lieutenant  of  Washington  county 
had  already  been  promptly  responded  to. 

'The  contractor  was  Michael  Huffnagle,  a  resident  of  Hannastown,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania.  David  Duncan,  also  a  resident  of  West- 
moreland, attended  to  the  contractor's  business  at  Fort  Pitt. 

8  Irvine's  letter  to  the  board  of  war  was  written  the  next  day.  (Appendix 
B.)  The  secretary  at  war  —  Major  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  —  was  the  suc- 
cessor of  this  board;  but  he  had,  at  the  above  date,  been  so  short  a  time  in 
office  that  the  fact  was  unknown  to  Irvine.  Why  there  was  a  necessity  for 
writing  to  the  board,  the  following  order  will  show:  — 

"  [Continental]  War  Office,  September  29,  1781. 

''Agreed,  That  General  Irvine  be  authorized  and  directed  to  regulate  the 
issues  of  provision  by  the  contractors  at  Fort  Pitt  and  its  dependencies  in  such 
manner  as  will  best  suit  the  circumstances  of  those  posts,  consistent  with  the 
contract,  and  give  temporary  direction  on  the  subject,  reporting  to  this  board 
any  regulations  he  may  make  and  the  orders  given  in  consequence,  which  are 
to  be  subject  to  the  revision  and  alteration,  if  necessary,  of  the  board.  By 
order  of  the  board.  Jos.  Carleton,  Sec." 

6 


Washington-Irvine  Correspond'  nee. 


the  earliest  possible.  They  have  come  from  different  places, 
and  I  am  told  all  agree  that  great  preparations  are  making  to 
attack  this  country,  at  several  places,  at  the  same  time.  Speak- 
ing of  prisoners,  leads  me  to  beg  your  excellency's  opinion 
or  instructions  respecting  an  exchange  in  this  quarter,  or  a 
negotiation  carried  on  with  the  commander  at  Detroit.1  I 
find  numbers  of  poor  people  are  taken  in  this  district;  some 
were  taken  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  and  are  yet  lan- 
guishing in  prison,  in  Canada,  for  they  send  all  down  to 
Quebec  or  Montreal.  I  cannot  learn  that  any  attempt  has 
ever  been  made,  on  either  side,  to  exchange  them.  John 
Hinds  and  Myndert  Fisher  have  both  been  confined  here  a 
whole  year,  and  are  under  sentence  of  a  court-martial.  I  re- 
quest your  excellency's  orders  respecting  them.  I  am 
informed  the  proceedings  of  the  court  were  sent  to  head- 
quarters a  considerable  time  since.2 

1  The  British  commandant  at  Detroit  at  this  time  was  Arent  Schuyler  De 
Peyster,  major  of  the  eighth  regiment  of  foot,  afterward  lieutenant  colonel 
of  the  same  regiment.  (See  Appendix  M, —  De  Peyster  to  Irvine,  July  10th, 
1783,  note.) 

-  From  this,  it  will  be  seen  that  Irvine  had  not  received  Washington's  letter 
of  the  first  of  November,  though  it  must  have  come  to  hand  shortly  after,  as 
the  order  for  the  release  of  Fisher  from  confinement  was  dated  the  seventh  of 
January  and  the  one  for  the  release  of  Hinds  the  day  after,  as  shown  by  the 
following  from  Irvine's  MS.  orderly  book: 

"Fort  Pitt,  January  7,  1782. 

"  At  a  general  court  martial  held  the  2oth  of  July  last,  of  which  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  [Stephen]  Bayard  was  president,  John  Hinds,  afifer,  in  the  7th 
Virginia  regiment  was  tried  for  desertion,  and  assisting  a  disaffected  Indian 
to  make  his  escape  to  the  enemy.  The  court  are  of  opinion  he  is  guilty,  and 
sentence  him  to  suffer  death.  His  excellency  General  Washington  confirms 
the  sentence. 

"  At  the  same  court,  Myndert  Fisher  was  tried  for  holding  a  traitorous  cor- 
respondence with  the  enemies  of  the  United  States.  The  court  are  of  opinion 
he  is  guilty,  and  sentence  him  to  be  hanged.  The  commander-in-chief  dis- 
approves the  sentence,  and  orders  him  to  be  liberated  from  confinement.  He 
is,  therefore,  to  be  released  immediately. 

"Fort  Fitt,  Jatntar;/  8,  178?. 

"  Eia  excellency  General  Washington  having  been  pleased  to  leave  to  Gen- 
eral Irvine  to  execute  or  pardon  John  Hind-,  as  he  should  judge  proper, 
1  !  [rvine,  through  motives  of  humanity  and  compassion  for  his  youth, 

as  well  as  warm  solicitation  of  some  of  his  officers  in  his  favor,  is  induced  to 
pardon  him.    He  is  to  be  released  from  confinement." 


Washington  to  Irvine.  83 


III. —  "Washington  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  December  18,  1781. 

Dear  Sir:  —  I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  2d  instant. 
I  am  not  at  all  surprised  to  hear  that  you  found  matters  in 
disorder  to  the  westward;  it  is  generally  the  case  when  a  dis- 
pute arises  respecting  command,  as  the  parties  make  it  a 
point  to  thwart  each  other  as  much  as  possible.  Perhaps 
what  is  past  cannot  be  amended,  as  Colonel  Brodhead  may 
say  that  the  delivery  of  ammunition  to  the  county  lieutenants 
was  necessary.1  But  you  will  judge  of  the  propriety  of  the 
measure  in  future. 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  the  failure  of  General  Clark's  expe- 
dition, of  which  I  was  always  doubtful,  as  it  was  to  be  carried 
on  with  militia.  But  of  this  I  am  convinced,  that  the  pos- 
session or  destruction  of  Detroit  is  the  onlv  means  of  o-ivin<r 
peace  and  security  to  the  western  frontier;  and  that  when  it 
is  undertaken,  it  should  be  by  such  a  force  as  should  not  risk 
a  disappointment.  When  we  shall  have  it  in  our  power  to 
to  accomplish  so  desirable  an  end,  I  do  not  know.  It  will 
depend  upon  the  exertion  of  the  states  in  filling  up  their 
regular  batallions. 

I  cannot  undertake  to  determine  upon  the  propriety  of 
removing  our  principal  post  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Chartiers 
creek.  It  is  a  matter  in  which  I  suppose  a  variety  of  inter- 
ests is  concerned,  and  which  must  therefore  be  decided  upon 
by  congress.  Should  you  obtain  leave  to  come  down  this 
winter,  you  will  have  an  opportunity  of  laying  the  matter 
fully  before  them.2 

I  wish  you  had  been  particular  upon  the  manner  in  which 
the  contractors  of  Fort  Pitt,  etc.,  have  been  deficient,  and  had 

1  This  was  in  answer  to  Irvine's  remarks  concerning  the  waste  of  ammuni- 
tion by  the  militia  of  the  western  counties. 

2  The  letter  of  Irvine  to  the  president  of  congress  of  the  3d  of  December, 
1781  (Appendix  A),  was  referred  to  the  sacretary  at  war,  who  reported  that 
for  a  variety  of  reasons  it  was  inexpedient,  at  that  time,  to  remove  the  post 
from  Pittsburgh  to  Chartiers    creek,  whatever  might  be  done  in  the  future 
(See  Washington  to  Irvine  —  next  letter.) 


s.'f.  Washington- -1 rvine  Correspondence. 

given  your  reasons  for  thinking  that  the  contract  upon  its 
present  establishment  will  not  answer.  I  would  immediately 
have  laid  them  before  Mr.  Morris.  If  your  representations 
should  not  have  been  made  before  this  reaches  you,  no  time 
should  be  lost  in  doing  it.1 

I  have  directed  our  commissary  of  prisoners,  who  is  now  at 
Elizabethtown,  negotiating  a  general  exchange,  to  endeavor  to 
include  the  prisoners  in  Canada.  I  cannot  see  what  end 
would  be  answered  by  your  opening  a  treaty  with  the  com- 
mandant of  Detroit  upon  that  subject,  as  we  seldom  or  never 
have  a  prisoner  in  our  hands  upon  the  quarter  where  you 
are. 

In  my  letter  of  the  1st  of  Xovember,  I  acquainted  you 
with  my  determination  upon  the  cases  of  Hinds  and  Fisher. 


IV. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  December  21,  1781. 
Dear  Sir:  —  The  secretary  at  war,  to  whom  your  letter  of 
the  3d  instant  to  congress  was  referred,  reported  that,  for  a 
variety  of  reasons,  which  it  is  not  at  present  necessary  to 
repeat,  it  was  judged  inexpedient  to  remove  the  principal 
post  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Chartiers  creek,  at  this  moment,  what- 
ever might  be  done  in  future,  and  that  you  should  be  in- 
structed "immediately  to  employ  the  garrison  in  repairing 
the  old  fort  and  the  block-house  which  commands  it,  and 
that,  when  you  had  made  the  necsssary  arrangements,  you 
should  be  permitted  to  repair  to  congress,  that  the  benefit 
of  your  advice  might  be  had  in  digesting  measures  for  the 
security  of  the  frontiers." 2    The  report  having  been  submitted 

1  This  matter  was  laid  before  the  board  of  war  by  General  Irvine  in  his  let- 
ter to  that  body  of  December  3,  1781 ;  also  in  a  further  communication  upon 
the  same  subject,  on  the  14th  of  that  month.     (See  Appendix  15.) 

*Soon  after  receiving  this  notification,  Irvine  began  making  preparations  for 
his  contemplated  trip  over  the  mountains.  On  the  10th  of  January,  1782,  ho 
sent  a  requisition  to  James  Marabel,  the  lieutenant  of  Washington  county, 
for  one  subaltern,  one  sergeant  and  fifteen  privates,  of  the  militia,  to  relieve 
tin-  garrison  at  Fort  Henry  (Wheeling)  by  the  1st  of  February.  (See  Appen- 
dix J, —  Irvine  to  Marshel,  of  that  date.)    He,  also,  sent  circular  letters  to 


Washington  to  Irvine.  85 

to  me  by  congress,  with  direction  to  give  order  upon  it,  as  I 
should  think  proper,  I  have  concurred  in  opinion  with  the 
secretary  at  war,  and  must  therefore  desire  yon  to  follow  the 
measures  recommended  bv  him. 


the  subdieutena.nts  of  Westmoreland  and  one  to  Marshel,  with  information 
that  he  was  to  go  down  to  Philadelphia  on  public  business  connected  with  his 
■department;  that  he  was  not  certain  what  length  of  time  he  might  be  de- 
tained there;  and  that,  during  his  absence,  Colonel  John  Gibson  would  have 
command  at  Fort  Pitt.  As  he  was  apprehensive  there  might  be  a  necessity 
for  calling  out  the  militia  before  his  return  —  especially  as  his  garrison  must 
continue  to  be  employed  in  repairing  the  fort — they  should,  on  the  requisition 
of  Gibson,  who  would  be  the  best  judge  when  such  necessity  might  arise, 
order  out  such  numbers  as  he  should  call  for,  not  exceeding  fifty,  for  one  tour 
of  duty;  the  tour  not  to  exceed  one  month's  time.  "I  hope,"  said  Irvine, 
"  to  return  by  the  first  of  March,  before  which  time  I  presume  there  will  not 
be  much  danger  of  any  damage  being  done;  at  the  same  time,  I  think  it  most 
prudent  to  take  every  proper  precaution."  (See  Irvine  to  Cook,  first  letter  in 
Appendix  K.) 

The  following  is  from  Irvine's  MS.  orderly  book: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  Jariy  15,  1782. 

"  As  the  general  will  be  absent  some  time,  he  requests  Colonel  Gibson  to 
use  every  possible  exertion  to  put  this  post  in  a  good  state  of  defense  as  pos- 
sible ;  for  this  purpose,  he  will  employ  the  garrison  whenever  the  weather  will 
admit. 

"  The  general  observes  that  more  men  are  returned  on  furlough  than  what 
are  entitled  by  resolution  of  congress;  and  is  informed  that  this  indulgence  is 
generally  abused  by  overstaying  the  time  allowed,  equally  injurious  to  service 
and  to  other  men  who  are  as  well  entitled  to  the  same  indulgence.  He  there- 
fore directs  that  officers  commanding  corps  will  take  effectual  measures  to  call 
in  all  whose  furloughs  are  expired;  and  that  in  future  no  man  is  to  be  fur- 
loughed  without  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  commandant."  Irvine 
left  the  next  morning. 

The  following  orders  were  issued  by  Irvine,  from  Dec.  5,  1781,  to  January 
14,  1782,  inclusive: 

"Fort  Pitt,  December  5,  1781. 

"  When  there  is  flour  sufficient  in  store,  the  bread  must  be  baked  at  least 
one  day  before  it  is  issued  to  the  troops.  The  general  directs  the  quarter- 
masters to  pay  strict  attention  to  the  quality  of  the  provisions,  and  when 
they  think  it  unwholesome  or  unfit  for  use,  they  will  make  immediate  report 
thereof,  in  order  that  inspection  may  be  made.  Major  [Samuel]  Finley  will 
send  a  copy  of  this  order  to  the  contractor." 

"  Pittsburgh,  December  7,  1781. 

"  Neither  non-commissioned  officers  nor  privates  shall  retain  or  use  in  pub- 
lic service,  arms  or  accoutrements  which  are  private  property.     All,  therefore, 


86  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

Whether  wo  shall  or  shall  not  be  in  condition  to  prosecute 
an  enterprise  against  Detroit  in  any  short  time,  I  do  not  know. 

who  are  possessed  of  such  are  at  liberty  to  dispose  of  them  as  they  think 
proper.  All  rifles  (public  property)  and  accoutrements  belonging  thereto,  and 
all  the  ammunition  in  the  hands  of  the  troops,  are  to  be  instantly  collected 
by  the  quartermasters,  which,  together  with  what  they  may  have  on  hand 
unissued,  are  to  be  delivered  into  the  military  store;  and  [the  quartermasters 
are  toj  make  out  new  returns  to  complete  each  man  to  three  rounds  which 
must  be  made  up. 

"All  returns  for  arms,  accoutrements  or  ammunition  [are]  to  be  examined 
and  signed  by  [the]  officer  commanding  [each]  corps,  when  [they  are  to  be] 
delivered  to  the  inspector  for  signing  also,  who  will  hand  them  to  the  com- 
manding officer. 

"  The  general  expects  that  officers  of  every  rank  will  exert  themselves  to 
prevent  unnecessaiy  destruction  or  embezzlement  of  arms,  ammunition, 
clothing  and  public  property  of  every  kind.  He  is  sorry  to  observe  that  so 
little  progress  has  been  made  in  the  mode  proposed  in  altering  and  enlarging 
the  soldiers'  clothes  and  for  repairing  the  barracks  so  as  to  make  the  quarters 
comfortable.  It  is  in  vain  for  men  to  allege,  in  excuse,  that  they  have  not 
money  to  purchase  thread,  needles,  etc.,  or  to  pay  taylors,  when  it  is  evident 
that  their  credit  is  large  with  vendors  of  whiskey. 

"  No  arms  [are]  to  be  loaded  till  further  orders,  excepting  when  the  officer 
of  the  day  shall  judge  it  expedient  in  the  night,  which  is  to  be  noted  in  the 
daily  reports.1* 

"Fokt  Pitt,  December  12,  1781. 

"The  several  corps  will  provide  coal  and  wood  for  themselves  in  such 
manner  as  the  commandants  may  think  best ;  the  coal  pit  to  be  occupied  by 
turns,  day  and  day  about,  at  first,  till  all  have  some  days'  supply;  afterwards, 
each  three  days  to  be  determined  by  lot  who  shall  have  the  first  day  for  the 
present  in  this  business.  The  artillery  and  the  Pennsylvania  detachment  will 
work  together  and  C'apt.  Livergood's  company  with  Col.  Gibson's  regiment. 
Each  will  supply  the  blacksmith's,  armorer's,  and  the  general's  family,  in 
rotation,  with  such  quantities  as  Mr.  [Samuel]  Sample  shall  direct,  who  will 
also  assign  boats  and  teams  in  due  proportion  as  the  case  will  admit. 

"  The  general  requests  the  officers  to  make  such  arrangements  as  [that]  the 
men  will  be  kept  as  short  time  as  possible  on  fatigue  in  each  tour  and  never 
to  exceed  two  days.  Boatmen,  carters,  and  colliers,  who  have  skill  in  the 
business,  may  render  it  necessary  to  keep  them  constantly  in  the  employ. 
These  men  will  be  entered  in  the  quartermaster's  books,  to  be  allowed  the 
same  additional  pay  as  soldiers  taken  from  the  line  of  the  army  to  drive 
wagons;  as  this  is  the  mode  adopted  in  all  armies.  The  general  flatters  him- 
self there  will  be  no  more  cause  of  complaint  for  want  of  these  articles  [of 
fuel].  If  the  troops  should  hereafter  suffer,  he  hopes  they  will  attribute  it  to 
cause  (indolence),  which  he  will  not  charge  them  with  without  good 
evidence." 


Washington  to  Irvine.  S7 

But,  as  a  consideration  of  that  point  may  be  brought  on  when 
you  come  down,  it  may  be  well  for  you  to  prepare  yourself 
with  the  necessary  information  respecting  the  strength  of  the 

[An  order  for  December  15,  1781,  is  given  hereafter.  See  Appendix  M, — 
Capt.  John  Finley  to  Irvine,  February  2,  1782,  note.] 

"  Fort  Pitt,  December  18,  1781. 

"General  Irvine  thinks  proper  to  republish  this  extract  from  general  orders, 
dated  at  West  Point,  July  24,  1779,  that  no  person  may  plead  ignorance  in 
future: 

"' Any  soldier  who  presumes  to  fire  his  musket  without  leave  from  the 
commanding  officer  of  his  regiment  (who  is  not  to  give  it  but  in  cases  of 
necessity,  and  then  will  acquaint  the  general  of  it)  is  to  receive  fifteen  lashes 
on  the  spot  and  to  pay  one-sixth  of  a  dollar  for  the  cartridge  to  the  quarter- 
master of  the  regiment,  who  will  lay  out  the  money  arising  this  way  for  the 
use  of  the  sick.  A  similar  punishment  shall  be  inflicted  on  any  soldier  who 
will,  through  neglect,  waste  or  lose  any  of  his  ammunition.  The  guard  nearest 
the  spot  where  the  gun  is  fired  is  to  send  a  file  of  men  for  the  offender.1 " 

"Fort  Pitt,  December  24,  1781. 

"  All  officers  who  shall  obtain  leave  of  absence  will  acquaint  the  brigade 
major  thereof." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  December  25,  1781. 

"  A  detachment  of  troops  in  this  garrison,  consisting  of  one  sub[altern], 
one  sergeant,  one  corporal,  one  drum  and  eighteen  privates,  will  parade  to- 
morrow at  twelve  o'clock,  with  their  arms,  accoutrements  and  packs  for  a 
command  of  two  weeks. 
"  Detail. 

"  The  general  orders  the  rolls  of  each  company  to  be  called  by  the  orderly 
sergeant  in  the  barrack  rooms  after  tattoo  beating,  at  which  time  an  officer  of 
each  corps  will  be  present  and  see  the  rolls  called,  reporting  the  absentees  to 
the  commanding  officer  of  each  corps,  that  the  delinquents  may  be  punished 
for  a  breach  of  former  general  orders." 

"Fort  Pitt,  January  1,  1782. 
"G.  0.  [General  Orders.] 

"  Patrick  Leonard,  John  Cain  and  Martin  Sinister  are  to  be  released  from 
their  confinement.  The  general  hopes  this  lenity  will  excite  them  to  better 
conduct  in  future." 

"  Headquarters,  Fort  Pitt,  January  2,  1782. 
"  G.  0. 

"  There  will  be  a  general  inspection  of  the  troops  at  this  post  the  4th  in- 
stant. All  fatigue  parties  will  be  present  at  the  examination.  The  troops 
will  appear  clean,  their  arms  and  accoutrements  in  good  order. 

"The  officers  will  make  returns  of  the  strength  of  the  companies  they  com- 
mand, accounting  for  all  absentees,  together  with  the  alteration?,  specifying 
the  quantity  of  clothing  delivered  their  companies  since  last  inspection,  and 


SS  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

post,  that  of  the  garrison,  and  the  means  that  ought  to  be 
employed  to  give  the  expedition  a  tolerable  certainty  of 
SUCCe68. 

of  the  arms,  ammunition  and  accoutrements  of  each  company,  distinguishing 
such  as  are  in  the  hands  of  the  men  absent  on  command,  etc.,  from  those 
present,  and  of  camp  equipage  delivered  each  company,  the  quantity  on  hand 
and  the  deficiency  since  the  preceding-  examination. 

"The  regimental  quartermasters  will  make  out  returns  of  the  articles  they 
have  drawn  since  the  last  inspection,  both  from  the  assistant  quartermaster 
and  deputy  field  commissary  of  military  stores,  the  issues  they  have  made  to 
each  company,  the  stores  on  hand  and  the  deficiencies  that  have  happened. 

"  The  regimental  clothiers  will  make  out  returns  of  all  the  articles  of  cloth- 
ing by  them  received  and  delivered  and  on  hand. 

"  The  assistant  quartermaster  [will  make]  out  a  return  of  the  articles  of  his 
department  issued  to  the  several  regiments  and  others  and  returned  by  them 
to  him. 

"  The  deputy  field  commissary  of  military  stores  will  make  out  a  similar 

return." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  January  12,  1782. 
"  General  Orders. 

"A  detachment  wilt  parade  to-morrow  morning  at  troop-beating  pre- 
pared for  a  command  of  two  weeks. 

"Detail  for  the  Pennsylvania  detachment: 

"  Sub[altern].  Serg't.  Drum.  Rfank]  and  File. 

10  1  9 

"At  a  garrison  court  martial,  of  which  Captain  [Isaac]  Craig  was  presi- 
dent.—  Matthias  Ward  and  David  Fitzgibbons,  corporals  in  Captain  [Samuel] 
Brady's  company,  were  tried  for  attempting  to  murder  Indian  Moses,  a  Dela- 
ware. The  court  are  of  opinion  that  the  evidence  against  them  does  not 
amount  to  positive  proof,  and  therefore  acquit  them  of  the  charge.  The  gen- 
eral agrees  with  the  court  in  opinion  that  no  positive  proof  has  been  made 
against  them,  but  thinks  the  circumstances  are  strong  and  pointed,  and  he 
cannot  help  lamenting  that  any  person  who  bears  the  name  of  a  soldier  should 
be  so  destitute  of  humanity  or  the  manly  virtues  necessaiy  to  stamp  the  pro- 
fession as  to  do  or  say  anything  even  to  create  a  suspicion  of  so  base  an  act. 
Matthias  Ward  and  David  Fitzgibbons  are  to  be  released  from  their  confine- 
ment after  this  order  shall  have  been  read  at  the  head  of  the  troops  of  the 
garrison,  they  being  present. 

"  At  the  same  court,  John  Cupps,  soldier  in  Captain  [John]  Clark's  com- 
pany, was  tried  for  leaving  his  guard.  The  prisoner  pleads  guilty  to  the 
charge.  The  court  finds  him  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  4th  article,  12th  sec- 
tion of  the  articles  of  war,  and  sentence  him  to  receive  one  hundred  ladies  on 
his  bare  back  by  the  drummer  of  the  garrison.  The  general  being  deter- 
mined not  to  let  crimes  of  so  heinous  a  nat  an-  escape  punishment,  approves  the 
sentence,  and  orders  it  to  be  put  in  execution  at  retreat-beating  this  after- 
noon. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  89 


Y. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Philadelphia,  February  7,  1782. 

Sir:  —  The  present  strength  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pitt  is 
two  hundred  .and  thirty.  At  least  thirty  of  these  are  unfit 
for  field  duty,  and  several  even  garrison  duty.  From  this 
number  detachments  are  made  to  garrison  Forts  Mcintosh 
and  Wheeling,  the  first  distant  thirty  miles,  the  latter  eighty. 
Fort  Pitt  is  in  a  bad  state  for  defense;  Fort  Mcintosh 
pretty  easily  repaired.  If  Fort  Pitt  were  in  the  best  state, 
the  work  is  too  extensive  for  less  than  a  garrison  of  at  least 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men  to  make  a  tolerable  defense.  Fort 
Mcintosh  would  take  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  defend  it 
properly,  and  be  able  to  send  patrolling  parties  towards 
Wheeling. 

Wheeling  should  have  twenty-five  or  thirty  men,  and  an 
equal  number  at  some  intermediate  post.     From  Fort  Pitt  to 


"  At  the  same  court  William  Straphan,  soldier  in  Captain  Brady's  company, 
was  tried  for  insolence  to  Lieutenant  Crawford,  to  which  charge  he  pleads 
guilty.  The  court  sentence  him  to  fifty  lashes.  The  general  approves  the 
sentence;  but  at  the  particular  request  of  Lieutenant  Crawford,  is  pleased  to 
remit  the  punishment  of  Wiiliam  Straphan,  who  is  to  ask  Lieutenant  Craw- 
ford's pardon  at  the  head  of  the  corps  to  which  he  belongs,  after  which  he  is 
to  be  released. 

"At  the  same  court  Samuel  McCord  and  John  Britain,  soldiers  in  the  7th 
Virginia  regiment,  were  tried  for  being  concerned  in  killing  a  cow,  the  prop- 
erty of  John  Ferry.  The  court  acquit  them  of  the  charge.  Samuel  McCord 
and  John  Britain  are  to  be  released  from  their  confinement.  John  Lockhart, 
[confined]  on  suspicion  of  killing  a  cow,  is  to  be  immediately  released." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  January  12,  1782. 
"  After  Orders. 

"  The  punishment  ordered  to  be  inflicted  on  John  Cupps  is  to  be  postponed 
till  to-morrow  at  troop-beating,  and  also  reading  the  sentence  to  Ward  and 
Fitzgibbons,     The  other  prisoners  are  to  be  released  immediately." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  January  14,  1782. 
"  General  Orders. 

"  As  soon  as  the  principal  evidence  [witness],  David  Tate,  arrives,  a  court 
martial  will  assemble  for  the  trial  of  Mr.  John  Johnson,  forage  master. 
Colonel  Gibson  will  preside." 


00  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

the  Laurel  Hill,'  northwards,  it  would  take  two  hundred  men 
in  actual  service  from  the  first  of  April  to  the  last  of  Octo- 
ber to  guard  that  quarter  from  the  incursions  of  the  savages. 
By  this  arrangement,  it  would  take  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
men  to  act  on  the  defensive  the  whole  of  the  summer  season. 
The  number  of  militia  in  "Washington  county  is  said  to  be 
two  thousand;  in  "Westmoreland,  one  thousand.  The  inhabit- 
ants are  dispirited,  and  talk  much  of  making  their  escape 
early  in  the  spring  to  the  east  side  of  the  mountain,  unless 
they  see  a  prospect  of  support. 

The  Indians  have  all  left  us,  except  ten  men,3  and,  by  the  best 
accounts  [the  hostile  tribes  beyond  the  Ohio],  are  preparing  to 
make  a  stroke  in  the  spring,  either  against  General  Clark,  at 
the  rapids  [Louisville,  Ky.],  or  Fort  Pitt,  which,  my  informant 
could  not  with  certainty  say,  but  was  positive  one  or  the  other 
was  intended.  I  am  apprehensive,  from  the  steps  taken  by  the 
commandant  at  Detroit,  that  something  serious  is  intended. 
First,  thirteen  nations  of  Indians  have  been  treated  with  in 
the  beginning  of  November;  at  the  conclusion,  they  were 
directed  to  keep  themselves  compact,  and  ready  to  assemble 
on  short  notice.     Secondly,  the  Moravians  are  carried  into 

■The  Laurel  Hill  is  a  mountainous  range  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  the  eastward  of  Pittsburgh,  and  having  a  northerly  and  southerly 
trend.  At  the  Youghiogheny  river,  going  north,  it  becomes  Chestnut  Ridge, 
and  the  range  east  of  it  receives  the  name  of  Laurel  Hill. 

2  These  Indians  were  friendly  Delawares.  The  Delaware  tribe,  located  upon 
the  Tuscarawas  and  .Muskingum  rivers,  in  the  present  state  of  Ohio,  had,  for 
a  considerable  time  after  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  remained 
neutral.  Finally,  the  nation  became  an  ally  of  the  Americans.  British 
influence,  howev  r.  and  the  inability  of  the  United  States  to  carry  out  treaty 
stipulations,  subsequently  alienated,  as  already  related,  a  large  portion  from 
American  interests,  resulting  in  their  taking  up  the  hatchet  against  the 
b  rder  in  the  spring  of  1781.  To  punish  the  Delawares,  Colonel  Daniel 
Brodhead,  commanding  ai  Port  Pitt,  marched,  in  April  of  that  year,  against 
Coshocton,  their  principal  village,  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  that  name, 
the  county  seat  of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  His  expedition,  as  previously 
(Introduction,  p.  51),  was  successful.  The  hostile  Delawares  were 
driven  from  the  valleys  of  the  Tuscarawas  and  Muskingum,  except  a  few 
who  still  adhered  to  the  Americans.    T  rned  with  Brodhead  to  Fort 

Pitt;  ami  the  "  ten  nun  "  mentioned  by  Irvine  were  a  portion  of  this  party. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  91 

captivity,  and  strictly  watched,  and  threatened  with  severe 
punishment  if  they  should  attempt  to  give  ns  information  of 
their  movements.1  Thirdly,  part  of  five  nations  are  assembled 
at  Sandusky.  The  Shawanese  and  Ottawas  have  settled  nearer 
Detroit  than  formerly.  There  is  no  magazine  of  provision 
laid  in  at  any  of  our  posts  to  hold  out  a  siege;  ammunition  ex- 
hausted; no  craft  to  transport  materials  for  repairing  the 
fort  or  to  keep  up  a  communication  with  Fort  Mcintosh  or 
Wheeling  or  to  supply  these  posts  with  provision  or  stores  in 
case  of  exigence.2 


1  Before  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  some  Moravian  Indians,  as 
they  were  called,  moved  from  the  Susquehanna  under  the  guidance  of  two 
Moravian  missionaries,  to  the  banks  of  the  Tuscarawas  river,  in  what  is  now 
the  eastern  part  of  the  state  of  Ohio.  These  Indians  soon  received  an  acces- 
sion to  their  numbers  by  the  arrival  from  Beaver  river,  Pennsylvania,  of 
more  "converts."  Two  villages  were  built  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
stream  upon  territory  set  apart  for  them  by  the  Delaware  Indians.  Up  to 
the  beginning  of  hostilities  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  the 
Tuscarawas  mission  was,  most  of  the  time,  in  a  prosperous  condition,  under 
the  lead  of  David  Zeisberger,  with  several  assistants.  During  the  revolution- 
ary contest,  down  to  the  summer  of  1781,  the  missionaries  held  a  position, 
outwardly,  of  strict  neutrality  between  the  contending  parties,  though,  in 
reality,  they  were  secret  and  most  valuable  correspondents  of  the  American 
commanders  at  Fort  Pitt.  A  confession  of  this  fact,  made  by  two  prisoners  to  the 
British  and  their  Indian  allies,  caused  the  breaking  up  of  the  mission  in  Sep- 
tember, 1781,  by  a  force  of  western  Indians,  assisted  by  a  few  whites,  and 
the  transporting  of  all  the  Moravian  Indians  and  missionaries  westward  to 
the  Sandusky  river,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  what  is  now  the  state  of 
Ohio.  (See  Introduction,  p.  60.)  Here,  as  Irvine  says,  they  were  strictly 
watched.  At  the  time  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  mission,  there  were  three 
villages,  all  within  what  is  now  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio.  The  most  north- 
ern was  New  Schcenbrunn,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas;  the  middle 
one  was  known  as  Gnadenhuetten,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river; 
while  the  lower  one,  on  the  west  side  of  the  stream,  was  called  Salem. 

2 Irvine  had  previously  "briefed"  this  portion  of  his  letter  as  follows: 
"  Washington  county  is  said  to  have  two  thousand  fighting  men.  They  could 
furnish  one-third  —  equal  to  seven  hundred;  the  remaining  three  hundred 
from  Westmoreland,  and  out  of  that  number  two  hundred  volunteer  horse. 

"  Westmoreland  robbed  of  its  best  men  by  Lochry's  defeat;  the  generality 
of  the  people  on  the  out-frontiers  preparing  to  quit  their  habitations. 

"  The  fort  at  Pitt  in  no  repair,  and  at  best  not  tenable. 

"The  garrison  weak  —  too  weak  to  defend  Fort  Pitt,  much  less  Fort 
Mcintosh. 


92  'Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

To  carry  on  an  expedition  against  Detroit  would  take  two 
thousand  men,  to  give  a  tolerable  certainty  of  success;  the 
time  would  be  three  months,  and  the  best  season  to  march 
from  Fort  Pitt,  the  1st  of  August.  Then  the  waters  are  low; 
morasses  and  soft,  rich  meadows  dried  up;  by  land  totally 
preferable  to  any  part  by  water,  the  enemy  having  entire  com- 
mand of  the  lake  with  armed  vessels;  the  navigation  of  rivers 
uncertain;  besides,  the  number  of  boats,  and  waste  of  time, 
would  make  it  more  expensive  than  land  carriage.1  Pack- 
horses  to  carry  provision  would  be  better  and  more  certain 
than  wagons;  but,  as  a  road  must  be  cut  for  artillery,  the  am- 
munition and  military  stores  would  be  transported  with  greater 
facility  and  more  safety  in  wagons.  One  thousand  horses 
would  carry  Hour  for  two  thousand  men  for  three  months. 
Beef  must  be  driven  on  foot.  Twenty -five  wagons  would  carry 
military  stores  sufficient  for  the  train,  which  should  consist 
of  two  twelve-pounders,  two  sixes,  one  three-pounder,  one 
eight-inch  howitzer  and  one  royal. 

At  least  one-half  should  be  regular  troops.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  half  the  number  of  troops  to  act  on  the  defensive 
that  it  will  to  act  offensively,  and  three  months  are  sufficient 
to  complete  the  expedition,  then  the  only  difference  in  the  ex- 
pense will  be  transportation  of  provision  and  stores;  as  acting 
on  the  defensive,  seven  months  will  be  the  least,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  provision  will  be  consumed  and  ammunition 
wasted.    If  we  act  offensively  it  will  draw  the  whole  attention  of 

"If  you  quit  Pitt  and  possess  Mcintosh,  all  communication  with  the  in- 
habitant-; may  easily  be  cut  oft'.  If  you  relinquish  Mcintosh  altogether,  the 
enemy  will  make  a  place  of  arms  of  it,  and  Pitt  will  not  be  tenable  with  any 
numbers. 

"The  soldiery  undisciplined. 

"  Not  a  sufficiency  of  provisions  laid  in,  nor  to  be  laid  in,  for  a  siege. 

"No  water  craft  to  keep  up  a  communication  between  Pitt  and  Mcintosh, 
and  to  supply  the  latter  in  an  exigency  with  stores  and  provisions. 

"  Ammunition  exhausted." 

''I'll''  reader  is  referred  to  the  opinion  of  Col.  Alexander  Lowrey,  a>  given 
in  a  letter  written  to  Irvine  by  George  Gibson,  February  •">.  L782,  (Appendix 
M .  i  as  to  the  impracticability  of  marching  in  the  spring  for  Detroit,  from  Fort 
Pitt. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  9 J 


the  enemy  to  their  own  defense,  by  which  our  settlements  will 
have  peace;  and  such  of  the  militia  as  do  not  go  on  the  expe- 
dition will  have  time  to  raise  crops.  On  the  contrary,  continual 
alarms  will  keep  them  from  these  necessary  duties.  The 
garrison  at  Detroit  is  three  hundred  regular  troops,  the  militia 
(Canadians),  from  seven  hundred  to  one  thousand;  the  number 
of  Indians  that  could  assemble  in  ten  days'  notice,  to  a  certain 
point,  about  one  thousand.1 

Query.  Should  we  be  able  to  take  Detroit,  shall  we  hold  it? 
If  not,  what  advantage  will  the  bare  reduction  of  the  place  be 
of,  if  immediately  evacuated? 

Answer.  The  reduction  of  Detroit  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
will  prevent  an  intercourse  with  the  western  Indians  for  a 
whole  year,  as  it  would  be  late  in  the  succeeding  summer  be- 
fore the  British  could  reestablish  themselves,  during  which 
time  we  might  either  open  a  trade  with  such  savages  as  would, 
ask  for  peace;  or,  by  frequently  penetrating  into,  and  estab- 
lishing posts  in  their  country,  oblige  them  to  retire  to  such 
a  distance  as  would  put  it  out  of  their  power  to  harass  the 
back  inhabitants.  It  would  be  attended  with  great  expense 
and  vast  risk  to  support  a  garrison  at  Detroit,  as  long  as  the 
British  possess  the  lower  part  of  Canada,  and  have  the  com- 
mand of  Lake  Erie. 

The  present  garrison  is  too  weak  to  repair  the  fort  [that  is, 
Fort  Pitt],  and  perform  other  necessary  duties;  no  cash  to 
pay  artificers;  the  troops  in  bad  temper  for  want  of  pay;2 

1 A  memorandum  of  Irvine  is  as  follows: 

"THE   ESEMy's   FORCE   IN   DETROIT. 

Regular  troops 300 

Refugees  at  Roche  de  Bout  [on  the  Maumee] 70 

Militia  at  the  largest  computation 1,000 

1,370 

Thirteen  nations  of  Indians  mustered  in  April,  1780,  1,150  warriors." 

2  That  General  Irvine  was  not  unmindful  of  the  suffering  of  the  garrison  he 
had  left  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  that  he  continued  to  make  every  exertion  to  relieve 
their  wants,  is  evident  from  the  following  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the 
supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania: 

"  In  Council.    Philadelphia,  Friday,  March  1,  1782. 
'    .  General  Irvine  attended   in   council    and    represented  that 

there  was  too  much  reason  to  fear  a  revolt  of  the  troops  stationed  at  Fort  Pitt 


9If.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

under  very  bad  discipline;  too  long  in  one  station,  as  they  have 
formed  such  connections  as  make  them  tenacious  of  the  rights 
of  citizens,  while  they  at  the  same  time  retain  all  the  vices 
common  to  a  soldieiy.  "What  is  contained  in  the  foregoing 
report  is  all  that  occurs  to  my  memory  at  present  necessary  to 
trouble  your  excellency  with. 


YI. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  March  8,  1782.1 

instructions. 

Sir: — You  will  proceed  with  all  convenient  despatch  to  Fort 
Pitt,  the  object  of  your  command,  and  you  will  take  such 
measures  for  the  security  of  that  post  and  for  the  defense  of 
the  western  frontier,  as  your  continental  force,  combined  with 
the  militia  of  the  neighboring  country,  will  admit.  Under 
present  appearances  and  circumstances,  I  can  promise  no 
further  addition  to  your  regular  force  than  a  proportion  of 
recruits2  for  the  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  regiments,  which 
are  already  upon  the  western  station;  consequently  offensive 
operations,  except  upon  a  small  scale,  cannot  just  now  be  brought 
into   contemplation.     You    may,   however,   still    continue   to 

from  the  want  of  pay,  that  application  had  been  made  to  the  superintendent 
of  finance  [Robert  MorrisJ  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  money  for  paying 
the  said  troops,  and  that  he  had  returned  for  answer,  '  he  could  not  think  of 
making  a  partial  pay  of  the  troops.' 

'"  The  council  considering  the  great  importance  of  preserving  a  force  on  the 
frontiers  for  the  protection  of  the  inhabitants,  were  of  opinion  that  meas- 
ures sbould  be  immediately  taken  for  satisfying  the  said  troops;  and  thereupon 
"Ordered,  That  Mr.  Vice  President  [James  Potter],  Mr.  [Christopher]  Hays, 
Mr.  [Dorsey]  Pentecost  and  Doctor  [Joseph]  I  lardner  be  a  committee  for  con- 
ferring with  a  committee  of  the  general  assembly  on  the  situation  of  the 
frontier  defense,  if  the  honorable  house  shall  think  proper  to  appoint  such  a 
committee.11 

'For  the  sake  of  convenience  and  uniformity,  the  date  of  this  letter  (or, 
rather,  of  these  instructions)  is  transferred  from  the  conclusion  to  the  com- 
mencement. In  the  original,  the  ending  is  in  these  words:  "  Given  at  Head- 
quarters, at  Philadelphia,  the  8th  of  March,  1782." 

9  For  information  concerning  these  recruits, —  their  number,  where  stationed, 
and  the  proportion  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Pitt,  see  next  letter. 


Washington  to  Irvine. 


keep  yourself  informed  of  the  situation  of  Detroit,  and  the 
strength  of  the  enemy  at  that  place. 

With  respect  to  the  subject  of  the  letters  which  you  have 
lately  received  from  Colonel  Gibson,1  I  can  only  repeat  what 
I  have  said  to  you  personally.  .You  must  endeavor  to  con- 
vince both  officers  and  men  that  measures  are  actuallv  takino- 
to  put  them  upon  such  a  footing  with  regard  to  their  pro- 
visions, clothing,  and  pay,  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  will  ere 
long  have  no  reason  to  complain.  They  will  have  already 
found  the  difference  between  their  past  and  present  mode  of 
obtaining  provisions  and  clothes;  and  they  cannot  therefore 
doubt  that  the  only  remaining  difficulty,  which  is  on  account 
of  pay,  will  be  removed  as  soon  as  the  financier  [Robert  Mor- 
ris] can  reap  the  advantages  of  the  taxes  for  the  current  year, 
which  are  but  just  laid,  and  cannot  therefore  come  yet  into 
use.  The  officers  and  men  must,  upon  a  moment's  reflection, 
be  convinced  of  the  wisdom  of  applying  the  public  money  in 
hand  to  procuring  victuals  and  clothes.  They  cannot  be  dis- 
pensed with  even  for  a  day;  and  when  both  are  assured  that 
certificates  of  pay,  due  to  the  1st  of  the  present  year,  will  be 
given  with  interest,  and  that  pay  thenceforward  will  be  more 
regular  and  as  frequent  as  the  public  treasury  will  admit,  they 
ought  to  be  satisfied. 

Should  the  troops  comprising  the  western  garrison  be  dis- 
contented with  their  situation,  and  think  that  they  are  par- 
tially dealt  by,  you  may  make  them  an  offer  of  being  relieved 
and  of  taking  their  chance  of  the  emoluments,  which  they 
may  suppose  accrue  to  those  serving  with  either  the  northern 
or  southern  armies.  There  may  be  policy  in  this  offer,  be- 
cause, if  I  am  not  mistaken,  most  of  the  men  who  have  con- 
nections in  the  upper  country,  would  rather  remain  there  at 
some  disadvantage  than  be  brought  away  from  their  families. 
You  will  make  such  arrangements  as  shall  comport  with 

1  Colonel  John  Gibson,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  left  in  command  at  Fort 
Pitt,  upon  Irvine's  departure  over  the  mountains.  The  letters  from  Gibson  to 
Irvine  have  not  been  found.  Their  contents,  however,  may  be  judged  of  by 
consulting  Capt.  John  Finley's  letter  to  Irvine,  February  2,  1782 — Appen- 
dix M. 


06  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

the  above  instructions  and  the  strictest  principles  of  economy, 
with  General  Knox1  and  the  quartermaster-general  respecting 
military  and  other  stores  necessary  for  the  posts  under  your 
orders;  and  you  will,  I  am  persuaded,  use  every  means  in 
your  power  to  prevent  any  waste  or  embezzlement  of  them.2 


VII. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Carlisle  [Pa.],  March  17,  17S2. 

Sir: — The  inclosed  is  the  best  return3  that  could  at  present 
be  obtained  of  the  recruits  and  old  soldiers  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line,  actually  assembled  at  this  post;  exclusive  of  these, 
I  am  informed  there  are  about  seventy  at  Lancaster,  who  are 
chiefly  for  the  regiments  of  cavalry  and  artillery;  but  as  ac- 
curate returns  are  gone  to  Colonel  [Richard]  Ilumpton,4  I  hope 
they  will  reach  him  before  your  excellency  leaves  Philadelphia. 
Colonel  Richard  Butler5  also  wrote  on  this  subject  previous 
to  my  arrival  here. 

From  present  appearances,  I  do  not  expect  that  the  number 
will  exceed  three  hundred  by  the  10th  of  April,  including  cav- 
alry, artillery  and  infantry,  after  which  time  I  am  of  opinion 

1  Brigadier  General  Henry  Knox.  He  was  in  command  of  the  artillery  of 
the  main  army,  at  date  of  the  above  instructions,  and  had,  in  the  fall  previous, 
contributed  greatly  to  the  successful  result  at  Yorktown. 

2  These  instructions  were  sent  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  his 
home,  where  he  was  then  tarrying  with  his  family. 

a Irvine's  "return"  has  not  been  found. 

4  Richard  Ilumpton  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  about  the  year  1738. 
As  a  captain  in  the  British  army,  he  distinguished  himself  in  the  attack  on 
St.  Malo.  "While  stationed  in  the  West  Indies,  he  resigned  his  commission, 
came  to  Pennsylvania,  and  fixed  his  residence  on  one  of  the  upper  branches 
of  the  Susquehanna.  He  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  Flying 
Camp,  July  16,  177G,  from  which  he  was  transferred  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
eleventh.  At  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  he  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  He 
commanded  the  sixth  Pennsylvania  in  1781  and  11x2,  holding  that  position  at 
the  date  of  the  above  letter.  In  1783,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  second  reg- 
iment, and  was  the  same  year  breveted  a  brigadier  general.  After  peace,  he 
settled  on  a  farm,  holding,  until  his  death)  which  occurred  the  21st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1804,  the  office  of  adjutant  general  of  militia. 

6  For  a  biographical  sketch  of  Butler,  see  Appendix  M, —  Butler  to  Irvine, 
March  2J,  1782,  note. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  97 

few  will  be  obtained  by  the  ordinary  mode  of  recruiting;  and 
I  think  it  would  be  best  to  call  in  all  the  parties,  except  one 
officer  from  each  corps.  As  the  cavalry,  it  seems,  have  been 
indulged  with  leave  to  enlist  for  their  own  corps,  particular 
instructions  from  your  excellency  respecting  their  equipment, 
and  whether  they  are  to  march  under  Colonel  Butler,  may  be 
necessary.  I  find  that  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of  offi- 
cers, now  in  the  state,  belonging  to  the  southern  detachment1 
(who  came  home  sick  or  on  furlough)  to  marshal  the  recruits 
to  that  army,  and  will  direct  them  all  to  assemble  here,  and 
put  themselves  under  Colonel  Butler,  until  he  receives  your 
excellency's  orders.  Colonel  Butler,  among  other  matters,  will 
require  your  orders  for  the  number  to  send  to  Fort  Pitt,  which, 
agreeable  to  the  mode  proposed  by  your  excellency's  instruc- 
tions to  me,  should  be  one-sixth  part.  Should  there  be  com- 
mands for  any  more  field  officers  of  the  line,2  agreeable  to  the 
usual  mode  of  doing  duty,  the  colonels  now  unemployed  will 
stand  in  rotation  —  Colonel  William  Butler,3  Humpton,  Brod- 
liead;  but  General  Hand4  will  doubtless  be  able  to  regulate 

1  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  Brigadier  General  Anthony  Wayne, 
•written  by  Washington  on  the  8th  of  April,  1781,  will  give  the  reader  an  idea 
of  what  is  meant  by  Irvine,  in  speaking  of  the  "southern  detachment: 
"The  critical  situation  of  our  southern  affairs  and  the  re-enforcements  sent 
by  the  enemy  to  that  quarter,  urge  the  necessity  of  moving  as  large  a  pro- 
portion of  the  Pennsylvania  line  as  possible  without  a  moment's  loss  of  time." 
Wayne,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  one  of  the  brigadiers  of  that  line. 

2  The  principal  officers,  at  the  above  date,  in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  were, 
of  the  infantry  regiments,  as  follow:  Arthur  St.  Clair,  major  general;  An- 
thony Wayne  and  William  Irvine,  brigadier  generals;  Daniel  Brodhead, 
colonel  of  the  first  regiment;  Walter  Stewart,  colonel  of  the  second;  Thomas 
Craig,  colonel  third  regiment;  William  Butler,  lieutenant-colonel  command- 
ant fourth  regiment:  Richard  Butler,  colonel  fifth  regiment;  Richard  Hump- 
ton,  colonel  of  the  sixth  regiment. 

s  William  Butler,  at  that  date  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  4th  Pennsylvania  reg- 
iment, was  a  younger  brother  of  Richard  Butler.  He  was  at  the  head  of  his  regi- 
ment during  all  its  active  service,  its  colonel  being  a  prisoner  on  parole.  In 
October,  1778,  he  made  an  excursion  into  the  Indian  settlements  of  Unadilla 
and  Anaquago,  which  were  destroyed.  He  retired  from  the  lieutenant  col- 
onelcy of  the  4th  Pennsylvania  regiment,  January,  1783.  (For  particulars  of 
his  military  services,  see  Penn.  Arch.,  second  series,  vol.  X,  pp.  481-188.) 

4  See  Introduction,  p.  22,  note  4. 
7 


9S  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

this  business.  I  shall  proceed  to-morrow  to  Fort  Pitt,1  con- 
sequently cannot  take  cognizance  of  any  matters  in  the  in- 
terior part  of  the  state.  I  have,  however,  in  the  meantime, 
written  to  the  secretary  at  war,  to  prevent  dehoy,  giving  my 
opinion  that  arms  and  accoutrements  should  be  forwarded  here 
for  the  recruits,  in  order  that  they  may  be  completely  ready  to 
move  in  any  direction  when  they  shall  receive  your  excel- 
lency's command. 

Should  anything  turn  up  to  put  it  in  your  excellency's 
power  to  march  a  detachment  to  the  westward,  Col.  Richard 
Butler  is  well  acquainted  in  that  country,  and  would  be  an 
useful  officer.  However,  this  is  only  meant  by  way  of  infor- 
mation. 


VIII. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  March  22,  1782. 
Dear  Sir:  —  You  will  be  pleased  to  make  yourself  ac- 
quainted as  accurately,  but  with  as  much  secrecy  as  possible, 
with  the  nearest  and  best  route  from  Fort  Pitt  to  ]Siagara, 
whether  up  the  Alleghany  river  and  thence  through  the 
woods,  or  by  the  river  Le  Bceuf,2  and  along  the  side  of  the  lake 
[Erie].  You  will  in  both  cases  mention  the  different  dis- 
tances of  land  and  water  transportation.  The  Indians  and 
traders  who  have  been  used  to  traverse  the  country  above 
mentioned,  must  be  well  acquainted  with  it.  In  order  to  de- 
ceive those  of  whom  you  inquire,  appear  to  be  very  solicitous 
to  gain  information  respecting  the  distances,  etc.,  to  Detroit 
—  the  other  matter  you  may  converse  upon  as  if  curiosity 
was  your  only  inducement.3 

1  Irvine,  as  will  be  seen  in  his  next  letter  to  Washington,  arrived  at  Fort 
Pitt  on  the  25th  of  March.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  he  left  Carlisle  on 
the  18th,  as  he  intended  when  he  wrote  the  above 

2  By  "the  river  Le  Bceuf  "  is  meant  French  creek,  Pennsylvania.  Atari 
early  day,  it  was  frequently  called  the  river  Aux  Boeufs,  or  Beef  river.  Fort 
Le  Bceuf  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the  inlet  to  Le  Bceuf  lake,  just  oast  of 
the  present  Susquehanna  and  Waterford  turnpike,  in  what  is  now  Erie 
county,  that  state. 

3  It  is  probable  that  juvenile  readers  will  not  see  in  this  paragraph  such  an 


Irvine  to  Washington.  00 


I  shall  leave  town  this  day  to  go  to  the  army  upon  the 
North  river.  Your  letters  to  me  may  be  put  under  care  to 
the  secretary  at  war. 


IX. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  20,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  arrived  here  the  25th  of  March.  At  that  time 
things  were  in  greater  confusion  than  can  well  be  conceived. 
The  country  people  were,  to  all  appearance,  in  a  fit  of  frenzy. 
About  three  hundred  had  just  returned  from  the  Moravian 
towns,  where  they  found  about  ninety  men,  women  and 
children  [Moravian  Indians,  usually  so  stated],  all  of  whom 
they  put  to  death,1  it  is  said,  after  cool  deliberation  and  con- 
sidering the  matter  for  three  days.  The  whole  were  collected 
into  their  church  and  tied  when  singing  hymns.2     On    [after] 

outgrowth  of  the  story  of  the  cherry  tree  and  little  hatchet,  as  to  excite  in 
them  raptures  of  delight;  but,  to  more  mature  minds,  "the  end  justified  the 
means." 

1  As  the  killing  of  these  Indians  occurred  at  Gnadenhueirten,  the  middle  vil- 
lage, upon  what  is  now  known  as  the  Tuscarawas  river,  in  Tuscarawas 
county,  Ohio,  before  that  time  occupied  by  the  Moravian  Indians  and  their 
teachers,  it  is  usually  known  as  "the  Gnadenhuetten  affair." 

2  Concerning  the  expedition  to  the  "Moravian  towns  " — known  in  history  as 
"Williamson's  expedition,"  from  Col.  David  Williamson,  the  one  who  com- 
manded it  —  and  the  investigation  which  followed,  only  a  brief  account  in 
this  connection  can  be  given. 

Early  in  1782,  war  parties  committed  sundry  depredations  upon  the  border. 
The  first  was  the  killing  of  John  Fink,  a  young  man,  near  Buchanan  fort. 
The  particulars  are  as  follow:  "  On  the  8th  of  February,  1782,  while  Henry 
Fink  and  his  son  John  were  engaged  in  sledding  rails  on  their  farm  in  the 
Buchanan  settlement,  several  guns  were  simultaneously  discharged  at  them, 
and  before  John  had  time  to  reply  to  his  father's  inquiry  whether  he  was  hurt, 
another  gun  was  fired  and  he  fell  lifeless.  Having  unlinked  the  chain  which 
fastened  the  horse  to  the  sled,  the  old  man  galloped  briskly  away.  He  reached 
his  home  in  safety,  and  immediately  moved  his  family  to  the  fort." — Witliers 
Border  Warfare,  pp.  232,  233. 

The  next  maraud  was  the  taking  from  their  homes  of  Mrs.  Robert  Wallace 
and  her  three  children  on  Raccoon  creek,  of  which  the  following  is  an  account: 
"  By  a  gentleman  who  lately  arrived  here  [Philadelphia]  from  the  westward, 
we  have  the  following  information:  that,  about  the  8th  ult.,  a  woman  [Mrs. 
Robert  Wallace]  and  four  [three]  children  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians, 


100  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

their  return,  a  party  came  and  attacked  a  few  Delaware  In- 
dians, who  have  yet  remained  with  us,  on  a  small  island  close 
by  this  garrison,  killed  two  who  had  captains'  commissions  in 

2")  miles  west  of  Fort  Pitt.  Happily  a  heavy  snow  falling  the  same  night 
prevented  much  more  mischief,  as  there  were  upwards  of  forty  Indian  tracks 
found  in  the  snow  next  morning.  [See,  post,  p.  318  and  note  thereto.]  This 
naturally  threw  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  into  the  greatest  consterna- 
tion and  will  be  a  means  of  causing  much  distress,  unless  timely  relieved. 
General  Irwin  [Irvine]  is  now  on  his  way  to  Pittsburgh;  he  will  do  every  thing 
possible  for  the  assistance  of  the  distressed  inhabitants.  If  the  general  has 
money  to  pay  the  militia,  etc.,  there  is  no  doubt  he  will  find  men  enough  to 
keep  the  Indians  at  a  distance,  and  to  enable  the  farmers  to  put  in  their 
crops  in  due  season." — Pennsylvania  Packet,  March  30,  1782  (No.  865). 

Both  of  these  accounts  are  referred  to  in  the  following:  "  I  am  told  this 
day  that  the  Indians  have  made  sundry  depredations  on  the  frontiers  of  this 
country,  during  the  last  open  spell  of  weather,  on  Raccoon  creek  and  up  the 
Monongahela,  I  think  at  a  place  called  Buchanan.  I  fear  this  is  the  begin- 
ning of  more  than  usual  calamity." — Thomas  Scott  to  Preset  Moore,  from 
Washington  county,  February  20,  1782.  (See,  also,  post,  p.  239,'  note  4, 
third  clause,  where  these  depredations  are  referred  to.)  The  next  raid  of  the 
Indian  warriors  resulted  in  the  capturing  of  John  Carpenter,  on  Buffalo  creek, 
particulars  of  which  are  hereafter  given  (see,  p.  101 ;  p.  239,  note  4;  p.  241, 
notes  3  and  4). 

These  marauds,  coming  so  early  in  the  year,  took  the  borderers  by  surprise, 
causing,  as  we  have  seen,  "the  greatest. consternation,"  as  no  visitations  were 
expected  before  about  the  first  of  April.  (Post,  p.  341.)  The  belief  was 
prevalent  that  "enemy  Indians  "  (that  is,  warriors  —  hostile  savages)  were 
upon  the  Tuscarawas  (then  called  the  Muskingum),  occupying  the  previously 
deserted  Moravian  Indian  towns.  Thereupon,  the  lieutenant  of  Washington 
county  ordered  out  a  number  of  the  militia  against  them.  They  assembled 
upon  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  intending  to  cross  over  to  the  Mingo  bottom  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  —  a  point  some  forty  miles  by  land  and  seventy-five 
by  water  below  Pittsburgh.  The  weather  was  very  cold  and  stormy  and  the 
river  high.  This  discouraged  some  and  they  turned  back;  others,  however, 
succeeded  in  getting  safely  to  the  Indian  side  of  the  Ohio.  The  militia 
marched  under  command  of  Col.  David  Williamson,  of  the  third  battalion  of 
his  county.  Upon  reaching  the  Tuscarawas,  a  considerable  number  of 
Moravian  Indians  were  found  —  men,  women  and  children;  all  of  whom 
were  taken  prisoners  except  two,  who  were  killed  as  the  town  —  Gnaden- 
huetten  —  was  reached.  Subsequently,  the  whole  were  put  to  death,  two 
boys  only  escaping.  It  is  said  that,  with  the  killed,  were,  also,  some  "  enemy 
Indians.11  Such,  in  a  word,  was  the  origin,  progress  and  result  of 
Williamson's  expedition.  The  first  reference  to  it  published,  was  the  follow- 
ing: "  Philadelphia,  April  6.  A  very  important  advantage  has  lately  been 
gained  over  our  savage  enemies  on  the  frontiers  of  this  state,  by  a  party  of 


Irvine  to  Washington.  101 

our  service,  and  several  others;  the  remainder  effected  their 
escape  into  the  fort,  except  two  who  ran  to  the  woods,  and 
have  not  since  been  heard  of.     There  was  an  officer's  guard 

the  back  county  militia.  We  hope  to  give  particulars  in  our  next." — I'cnn- 
sylvania  Packet,  April  9,  1782  (No.  868). 

But  how  was  it  that  these  "  Moravians  "  had  returned  to  the  Tuscarawas 
after  the  breaking  up  of  the  missionary  establishments  there,  as  already  ex- 
plained (ante,  p.  60)?  The  answer  is  this:  Impelled  by  a  scarcity  of  pro' 
about  150  men,  women  and  children,  having  received  permission  from  the 
Wyandots  upon  the  Sandusky,  started  for  their  old  homes  where  there  was 
plenty  of  corn  still  standing  left  ungathered  of  the  last  year's  growth.  Reach- 
ing the  valley  they  pursued  their  labors  until  captured,  as  just  mentioned,  by 
the  Washington  county  militia  under  Col.  Williamson. 

Some  time  after  the  return  of  the  militia,  an  inquiry  into  the  "  Gnaden- 
huetten  affair  "  was  ordered  by  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  at  the  request  of 
congress ; —  the  steps  taken  and  what  the  results  were,  are  hereafter  men- 
tioned. All  accounts  strictly  contemporaneous  that  have  been  found,  whether 
printed  or  in  manuscript,  in  anywise  relating  to  this  expedition,  are  given  in 
these  pages.  But,  as  a  discussion  of  the  events  which  transpired  after  the 
militia  reached  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas  does  not  come  within  the  scope 
proposed  for  this  work,  none  will  be  entered  upon.  The  following  is  the  first 
account  published  of  the  expedition : 

"  In  a  late  paper  we  gave  an  account  that  a  woman  and  three  children  had 
been  carried  off  by  the  savages  from  their  habitation  near  Fort  Pitt;  and  in 
our  paper  of  the  9th  [6th]  inst.  we  mentioned  an  advantage  being  gained 
over  those  Indians.  By  a  gentleman  who  arrived  here  on  Saturday  last  from 
Washington  county  we  have  the  following  particulars:  That  on  the  17th  of 
Feb.  last  the  wife  and  three  children  of  one  Robert  Wallace,  an  inhabitant  on 
Raccoon  creek  (during  his  absence  from  home),  were  carried  off  by  a  party  of 
Indians.  Mr.  Wallace,  on  his  return  home  in  the  evening,  finding  his  wife  and 
children  gone,  his  house  broke  up,  the  furniture  destroyed,  his  cattle  shot  and 
laying  dead  about  in  the  yard,  immediately  alarmed  the  neighbors,  and  a 
party  was  raised  that  night,  who  set  out  early  the  next  morning;  but  unfor- 
tunately a  snow  fell,  which  prevented  their  following,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  return.  About  this  time,  a  certain  John  Carpenter  was  taken  prisoner  from 
the  waters  of  Buffalo  creek  in  said  county,  and  another  party  had  fired  at  a 
man,  whom  they  missed,  and  he  escaped  from  them.  These  different  parties 
of  Indians,  striking  the  settlements  so  early  in  the  season,  greatly  alarmed 
the  people,  and  but  too  plainly  evinced  their  determination  to  harass  the 
frontiers,  and  nothing  could  save  them  but  a  quick  and  spirited  exertion. 
They  therefore  came  to  a  determination  to  extirpate  the  aggressors  and,  if 
possible,  to  recover  the  people  that  had  been  carried  off;  and  having  received 
intelligence  from  a  person  who  was  taken  prisoner  last  fall  (but  had  mad.'  his 
escape  and  come  home  a  few  days  before),  that  the  Indian  towns  on  the 
Muskingum  had  not  moved  as  they  had  been  told,  a  number  of  men  properly 
provided,  collected  and  rendezvoused  on  the  Ohio,  opposite  the  Mingo  Bot- 

LIBRARY 


10.2  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

on  the  island  at  the  same  time,  but  he  either  did  not  do  his 
duty  or  his  men  connived  at  the  thing;  which,  I  am  not  yet 
able  to  ascertain.  This  last  outrage  was  committed  the  day 
before  I  arrived;  nothing  of  this  nature  has  been  attempted 
since.1 

torn,  with  a  design  to  surprise  the  above  towns.  The  weather  was  very  cold 
and  stormy,  the  river  high  and  no  boats  or  canoes  to  transport  them  across. 
These  difficulties  discouraged  some,  but  160  determined  to  persevere,  and  they 
swam  the  river,  in  doing  of  which  some  of  their  horses  perished  with  the  sever- 
ity of  the  cold.  When  they  got  over,  officers  were  chosen,  and  they  proceeded 
to  the  towns  on  the  Muskingum,  where  the  Indians  had  collected  a  large  quan- 
tity of  provisions  to  supply  their  war  parties.  They  arrived  at  the  town  in  the 
night,  undiscovered,  attacked  the  Indians  in  their  cabins,  and  so  completely 
surprised  them  that  they  killed  and  scalped  upwards  of  ninety  (but  few  mak- 
ing their  escape),  about  forty  of  which  were  warriors,  the  rest  old  men, 
women  and  children.  About  eighty  horses  fell  into  their  hands,  which  they 
loaded  with  the  plunder,  the  greatest  part  furs  and  skins,  and  returned  to  the 
Ohio,  without  the  loss  of  one  man,  and  at  the  place  where  they  chose  their 
officers  they  held  a  vendue.  And  in  order  to  prevent  the  inhabitants  from 
bidding  against  the  adventurers,  they  divided  the  spoil  equally  between 
officers  and  men,  first  reimbursing  those  who  had  lost  their  horses  in  swimming 
the  river.     [In  the  foregoing,  "fall"  should  doubtless  be  "February."] 

"The  person  above  mentioned  to  have  escaped  from  the  enemy  says,  that 
he  was  taken  by  sis  Indians,  two  of  which  called  themselves  Moravians,  and 
spoke  good  Dutch,  and  were  the  most  severe  and  ill-natured  to  him.  He  was 
taken  to  the  above  towns,  and  from  thence  four  of  the  above  Indians  set  out 
with  him  for  St.  Duskie.  The  second  day  of  their  march,  in  the  morning,  he 
was  sent  out  for  the  horses  when  he  left  them,  and,  being  a  good  woodsman, 
came  off  clear  and  got  to  Fort  Pitt.     [This  was  Carpenter:  see  p.  243,  note.] 

"  While  at  Muskingum  the  two  Moravian  Indians  learnt  him  an  Indian 
song,  which  they  frequently  made  him  sing,  by  way  of  insult,  and  afterward 
interpreted  to  him  in  obscene  language;  and  he  left  them  at  Muskingum 
where  they  staid,  in  order  to  go  out  with  the  next  party  against  our  settle- 
ments. 

"Our  informant  further  says,  that  last  Thursday  two  weeks,  upwards  of 
300  men,  properly  equipped  on  horseback,  set  out  for  St.  Duskie.  It  is  hoped 
they  will  succeed  in  their  expedition,  and  hereby  secure  themselves  from  the 
future  encroaches  of  the  savages." — Pennsylvania  Packet,  April  16, 1782  (No. 
872). 

1  The  borderers  who  committed  "  this  last  outrage  "  were  not  the  same  or- 
ganized party  that  took  part  in  the  "  Gnadenhuetten  affair,"  as  the  language 
of  Irvine  might  be  construed  to  mean.  Tin;  killing  was  done  mi  Smoky,  or 
Killbuck's  Island,  since  gone.  The  following  will  be  found  of  interest  as 
relating  to  the  transactions: 

"Ami  before  this  time  a  party  had  come  from  the  Chartiers,  a  settlement 
south  of  the  Monongahela,  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  town  [Pittsburgh],  and 


Irvine  to  Washington.  103 

A  number  of  wrong-headed  men  had  conceived  an  opinion 
that  Colonel  Gibson  was  a  friend  to  Indians,  and  that  he  must 
be  killed  also.  These  transactions,  added  to  the  then  mutinous 
disposition  of  the  regular  troops,  had  nearly  brought  on  the 
loss  of  this  whole  country.  I  am  confident,  if  this  post  was 
evacuated,  the  bounds  of  Canada  would  be  extended  to  the 
Laurel  Hill  in  a  few  weeks.  I  have  the  pleasure,  however,  to 
inform  your  excellency  that  things  now  wear  a  more  favorable 
aspect.     The  troops  are  again  reduced  to  obedience,1  and  I 

had  attacked  some  friendly  Indians  on  the  island  in  the  Ohio  (Killbuck's 
Island),  under  the  protection  of  the  garrison,  and  had  killed  several,  and 
amongst  them  some  that  had  been  of  essential  service  to  the  whites,  in  expe- 
ditions against  Indian  towns,  and  on  scouting  parties  in  case  of  attacks  upon 
the  settlements.  One  to  whom  the  whites  had  given  the  name  of  Wilson 
(Captain  Wilson)  was  much  regretted  by  the  garrison.1' — Loudon's  Indian 
Wars,  Vol.  1,  pp.  54,  55. 

The  faithful  services  of  the  unfortunate  Delaware  captain  just  mentioned, 
had  long  been  appreciated  at  Fort  Pitt,  as  shown  by  the  following  certificate: 

"Fort  Pitt,  November  18,  1781. 
"  I  certify  that  in  consequence  of  the  faithful  service  of  Captain  Wilson  (an 
Indian),  as  well  as  to  encourage  him  to  be  active  in  future  expeditions  and  de- 
tachments, I  did,  last  spring,  make  him  a  present  of  a  small  black  horse, 
belonging  to  the  United  States. 

"Daniel  Brodhead,  Col.  1st  P.  Reg." 

1  The  following  communication  from  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  sol- 
diers of  the  seventh  Virginia  regiment  to  General  Irvine,  written  probably 
soon  after  his  return  to  Fort  Pitt,  clearly  sets  forth  their  grievances: 
"  To  the  Honorable  Brigadier  General  William  Irvine,  Esq.,  commanding 
western  department: 

"We,  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  7th  Virginia  regi- 
ment, having  heard  the  speech  your  honor  made  to  the  troops  at  this  post, 
do  present  you  with  these  few  lines,  as  follow: 

"  We  have  been  at  this  post  almost  four  years,  and  have  been  without  pay 
two  years  and  three  months  of  the  time;  this  undoubtedly  your  honor  must 
be  acquainted  with.  Your  honor  likewise  saw  when  you  first  arrived  here  in 
what  a  deplorable  condition  we  were,  for  want  of  clothing,  almost  naked,  sev- 
eral days  wanting  provisions,  in  cold,  open  barracks  with  little  fuel  or  fire  — 
these  extremities  made  us  to  utter  things  much  to  the  prejudice  of  the  char- 
acter of  soldiers;  but  that  thing  of  murder,  mutiny  or  desertion  we  abhor  and 
disdain  —  it  never  was  our  real  intentions,  and  we  should  look  upon  everyone 
that  has  had  that  bad  opinion  of  us  to  be  our  enemies.  We  have  always 
been  ready  to  exert  ourselves  in  the  service  of  our  country,  but  more  particu- 
larly, on  these  frontiers,  entrusted  to  our  charge'.  We  are  too  sensible  of  the 
troubles  and  inconveniences  (although  there  is  but  a  handful  of  regular  troops 


10 If,  Wa8hington-Iivuiiie  Correspondence. 

have  had  a  meeting  or  convention  of  the  county  lieutenants 
and  several  field  officers,  with  whom  I  have  made  arrangements 
for  defending  their  frontiers,  and  who  promise  to  exert  them- 
selves in  drawing  out  the  militia,  agreeably  to  law,  on  my 
requisitions.1     The  few  remaining  Indians,  chiefly  women  and 

here)  if  this  post  should  be  evacuated.  Though  we  have  been  upbraided  by 
the  country  inhabitants  for  our  fidelity  — they  calling  us  fools,  cowards  and  a 
set  of  mean  fellows  for  staying  without  our  pay  and  just  dues  — yet  we  think 
more  of  our  honor  than  to  listen  to  any  advice  than  what  is  given  to  us  by 
our  officers. 

"  It  is  reported  amongst  the  soldiery  that  the  officers  of  our  regiment  and 
the  Indians  have  received  pay;  if  it  is  so,  we  are  sorry  that  the  Indians  should 
be  paid  in  preference  to  us.  But  this  is  news  we  cannot  well  credit.  We  are 
well  assured  your  honor  is  too, much  of  a  soldier's  friend. 

"We  thought  it  very  hard  when  the  depreciation  money  was  paid  to  the 
Pennsylvania  line  and  none  to  the  Virginia;  and  if  the  Indians  have  received 
pay,  we  think  this  harder. 

"  We  are  very  sorry  the  country  is  not  better  able  to  pay  the  troops  em- 
ployed in  its  service;  but  we  must  needs  know  and  consider  within  our  breasts, 
that  when  the  war  commenced  the  country  was  young  and  unprepared,  and 
must  of  consequence  be  much  in  debt;  but  we  hope  it  will  overcome  all  in  a 
short  time,  to  our  great  joy  and  satisfaction,  and  we  have  no  further  reason 
to  complain.  We  have  nothing  further  to  add,  but  remain  your  honor's  most 
obedient  and  faithful  soldiers  of  the  7th  Virginia  regiment." 

1  Notes  taken  by  Iiwine  at  this  convention  were  as  follow: 

"Arrangement  of  troops  in  the  western  district. 

"Forts  Pitt  and  Mcintosh  garrisoned  by  regular  troops.  Westmoreland 
county  to  keep  in  actual  service  sixty-five  men.  These  are  formed  into  two 
companies,  under  the  direction  of  a  field  officer.  They  are  to  be  constantly 
ranging  along  the  frontier  (and  do  not  occupy  any  stationary  post)  from  the 
Alleghany  river  to  the  Laurel  Hill. 

"  Washington  county  to  keep  in  actual  service  160  militia,  to  range  along 
the  Ohio,  from  Montour's  Bottom  to  Wheeling,  thence  some  distance  along 
the  southern  line  —  under  two  field  officers. 

"  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  draw  any  from  the  counties  of  Virginia,  even 
for  their  own  defense.  The  lieutenants  say,  in  excuse,  that  they  have  not  re- 
ceived any  instructions  for  this  purpose  from  government;  that  they  are  not 
able,  etc.     1  have  written  the  governor  on  this  subject." 

The  foregoing  notes  were  afterward  extended,  thus: 

"  Lieutenants  and  sub-lieutenants  and  field  officers  of  the  several  counties 
west  of  Laurel  Hill  assembled  at  Fort  Pitt,  Friday,  April  -r>,  1782,  at  the  re- 
quest of  General  Irvine,  to  concert  measures  for  the  defense  of  the  frontiers. 
[There  were]  present  for  Westmoreland  [county]  Colonel  [Edward]  Cook, 
lieutenant;  Colonel  [Charles]  Campbell,  sub-lieutenant.  For  Washington 
[county],  Colonel  [George]  Vallandigham,  sub-lieutenant;  Colonel  [David] 


Irvine  to  Washington.  105 

children,  are  exceedingly  troublesome  to  us,  as  they  dare  not 
stir  out  of  the  fort;  not  one  of  the  warriors  will  even  venture 
on  a  reconnoitering  party.  I  think  they  would  be  better  in 
some  more  interior  part  of  the  country,  where  they  could  be 
both  cheaper  fed  and  clothed.     Besides,  it  is  not  only  incon- 

Williamson,  Colonel  [Thomas]  Crooks,  Maj.  [James]  Carmichael,  James  Ed- 
gar, Esq.  For  Ohio  county,  Colonel  [David]  Shepherd,  lieutenant;  Major 
[Samuel]  McColloch. 

"The  aforenamed  persons  unanimously  agreed  that  the  best  mode  of  defend- 
ing the  frontier  will  be  to  keep  flying  bodies  of  men  constantly  on  the  frontier, 
marching  to  and  from  the  different  places;  three  companies  for  Washington 
and  two  for  Westmoreland.  Forts  Pitt  and  Mcintosh  to  be  garrisoned  by 
regular  troops.  Westmoreland  county  is  to  keep  in  actual  service  sixty-five 
men;  these  are  to  be  forra.d  into  two  companies,  under  the  direction  of  a 
field  officer.  They  are  to  be  constantly  ranging  along  the  frontier,  and  not 
occupy  any  stationary  post,  from  the  Alleghany  river  to  the  Laurel  Hill. 
Washington  county  is  to  keep  in  actual  service  160  militia,  to  range  along  the 
Ohio,  from  Montour's  Bottom  to  Wheeling;  thence  some  distance  along  the 
southern  line,  under  two  field  officers.  I  have  not  been  able  to  draw  any 
from  the  counties  of  Virginia,  even  for  their  own  defense.  The  lieutenants 
say,  in  excuse,  that  they  have  not  received  any  instructions  for  this  purpose 
from  government;  that  they  are  not  able,  etc.  I  have  written  the  governor 
[of  Virginia]  on  this  subject." 

Two  weeks  after  the  before-mentioned  meeting  at  Fort  Pitt,  Irvine  issued 
the  following: 
"  Instructions  for  Major  Scott. 

"  Sir: — Four  companies  of  militia  are  called  out  for  the  purpose  of  defend- 
ing the  frontier  of  Washington  county.  You  are  to  take  command  of  two 
companies,  who  are  to  be  kept  constantly  in  motion  from  Montour's  Bottom 
to  Decker's  or  Mingo  Bottom  [a  station  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio].  As 
the  whole  of  this  frontier  is  entrusted  to  your  charge,  1  have  no  doubt  you 
will  make  such  arrangements  and  dispose  of  these  two  companies  so  as  best 
to  answer  the  purpose. 

"  It  will  therefore  be  incumbent  on  you  to  visit  the  companies  frequently 
and  see  that  the  men  are  alert  and  attentive  to  duty;  but  above  all,  you  will 
dispose  of  them  in  such  a  manner  as  that  very  short  intervals  will  take  place 
between  the  different  parties  marching  and  counter-marching.  You  will 
direct  the  officers  commanding  companies  or  parties,  should  they  discover 
signs  of  an  enemy,  to  alarm  not  only  the  other  companies  and  parties,  but 
they  are  to  inform  the  neighboring  settlements,  and  to  be  extremely  cautious 
at  the  same  time  to  guard  against  false  alarms  or  reports.  You  will  also 
direct  them  to  send  me  notice  of  any  material  occurrence  by  express  (one  of 
their  men),  the  lower  company  to  that  next  this  way,  the  officer  commanding 
there  to  send  one  of  his  men  —  the  first  to  return  to  his  company. 

"  You  will  make  weekly  returns  to  me  of  the  number  of  men  and  officers 


106  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

venient  but  improper  to  have  tliem  among  the  troops,  who 
are,  without  them,  crowded  in  dirty,  bad  barracks.  I  beg  your 
excellency's  instructions  how  to  dispose  of  them.  Their  chief, 
Killbuck,1  has  a  son  and  brother  at  Princeton  college,  whom 
he  is  anxious  to  see. 

Captain  [Uriah]   Springer,2  of  the  Virginia  line,  marched, 

actually  on  duty  under  you;  and  }'Ou  will  direct  each  captain  or  officer  com- 
manding a  company,  in  the  last  week  of  the  month,  to  make  out  a  muster- 
roll  of  his  company,  pointing  out  the  day  of  the  month  each  man  joined, 
and  also  if  any  left  him,  and  what  day,  noting  the  cause.  This  muster-roll 
must  be  sworn  to  by  the  officer  and  certified  either  by  Colonel  [James]  Mar- 
shel  [lieutenant  of  Washington  county],  one  of  the  sub-lieutenants,  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  or  by  you.  When  so  completed  it  must  be  transmitted  to  me. 
You  will  likewise  compare  with  the  officers  their  returns  of  men,  the  muster- 
rolls  and  provision  returns,  and  with  them  correct  any  mistakes. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  give  instructions  so  minute  but  what  circumstances 
may  intervene  either  to  make  an  alteration  necessary  or  something  done  which 
is  not  at  first,  nor  can  be,  foreseen.  A  great  deal  must  therefore  depend  on 
your  own  judgment  and  prudence.  Among  other  matters,  however,  you  will 
take  particular  care  that  no  unnecessary  waste  of  public  property  of  any  kind 
is  committed. 

"Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  April  18,  1782. 

"Wh.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"To  Major  Scott,  Washington  Militia." 

'John  Killbuck,  Jr.,  an  hereditary  chief  of  the  Delawares,  son  of  John 
Killbuck  and  grandson  of  King  Newcomer,  was  born  in  1737,  near  the  Le- 
high Water-Gap,  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania.  Early  in  the  revo- 
lution he  was  at  the  head  of  the  council  of  his  nation,  upon  the  Tuscarawas 
and  Muskingum,  in  what  is  now  the  eastern  part  of  Ohio.  He  remained  true 
to  the  United  States  after  a  large  part  of  the  Delawares  went  over  to  the 
British  Indians,  putting  himself  and  a  small  number  of  followers  under 
the  protection  of  the  commander  at  Fort  Pitt,  where  he  was  at  the  date  of  the 
above  letter.  Some  years  afterward  he  joined  the  Moravian  Indians,  being 
named,  at  baptism,  William  Henry.  Subsequent  to  the  victory  of  Wayne 
over  the  allied  nations,  he  was  urged  by  his  tribe,  which  had  become  recon- 
ciled to  him,  to  resum.9  his  office  of  chief,  but  this  he  declined.  He  died  in 
1-11.  in  Goshen,  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio. 

2  "Died,  at  his  residence  near  Connellsville,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  Thursday,  21st  ult.,  Major  Uriah  Springer  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age.  His 
father's  family  was  amongst  the  first  settlers  west  of  the  Alleghany  moun- 
tains before  the  revolutionary  war.  Uriah,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  was  com-. 
missioned  by  Lord  Dunmore,  then  governor  of  Virginia,  an  ensign  in  a 
company  of  rang  srs  organized  for  the  protection  of  this  frontier,  and  was  the 
first  officer  that  commanded  the  stockade  at  tins  place  [Brownsville]  in  177-1, 


Irvine  to  Washington.  107 

some  time  since,  with  three  Indians  and  as  many  white  men, 
towards  Sandusky,  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  intelligence; 
but  the  Indians  proved  too  timid  for  him  to  venture  to  go  all 
the  way.  lie  of  course  returned,  without  being  able  to  ac- 
complish anything.  I  thought  it  too  great  a  risk,  but  it  was 
by  his  request,  and  that  of  the  Indians,  who  were  very  solicit- 
ous.1    It  was  proved  on  one  of  the  party,  named  [John]  Eels, 

commonly  called  Redstone  Old  Fort.  He  was  subsequently  commissioned  in 
the  Virginia  line  and  served  as  captain  in  the  army  of  the  revolution  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  After  the  peace  of  1783,  he  continued  in  the  small  military 
establishment  of  the  country  and  served  in  several  campaigns  against  the  In- 
dians. After  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  by  Gen.  Wayne,  he  retired  to  his  fam- 
ily. During  the  late  war  [1812-15],  although  advanced  in  years,  he  was 
appointed  brigade  inspector  and  served  a  winter  campaign  on  the  northwest- 
ern frontier.  He  has  left  an  aged  widow  [Sarah],  daughter  of  the  late 
Colonel  [William]  Crawford  [and  formerly  a  widow  of  William  Harrison], 
who  [both]  fell  a  sacrifice  to  Indian  barbarity  at  [not  far  from]  Upper  San- 
dusky."—  Brownsville  [Pa.J  Observer,  1826,  cited  in  Hazard's  Register,  Vol. 
I,  p.  416. 

General  Irvine's  instructions  to  Captain  Springer  were  as  follow: 

"Fort  Pitt,  April  12,  1782. 

"  Sir: —  The  nature  of  the  service  you  go  on  is  such  that  confining  you  by 
particular  instructions  might  defeat  the  purpose  intended. 

"  In  general,  however,  I  wish  you  to  consider  your  command  (on  account  of 
the  smallness  of  your  number)  more  in  the  light  of  an  reconnoitering  party 
than  calculated  for  offensive  operations  against  the  enemy.  You  will,  there- 
fore, proceed  with  great  caution;  your  route  first,  for  thirty  or  forty  miles,  in- 
clining up  the  Alleghany  river.  Should  you  not  discover  any  traces  of  an 
enemy  on  that  route,  you  will  proceed  toward  Sandusky,  where  you  will  use 
every  prudent  means  in  your  power  to  gain  intellegence  of  the  strength  and 
intentions  of  the  enemy;  whether  any  white  men  are  among  them;  and 
whether  they  are  regular  British  troops  or  refugees,  or  as  they  call  themselves  — 
"rangers;  "  who  now  commands  at  Detroit;  what  the  strength  of  the  garri- 
son is;  or  whether  they  have  received,  thisspring,  re-enforcements  of  men, 
provisions,  etc.  The  best  mode,  I  think,  of  obtaining  this  end  would,  if  prac- 
ticable, be  by  capturing  one  or  more  white  men. 

"If  you  should  discover  such  symptoms  of  bodies  of  the  enemy  being  on 
their  march,  so  large  as  to  endanger  any  of  our  posts,  or  the  settlements  on 
the  frontier  of  this  country,  you  will  either  return  or  send  me  notice  by  one 
of  your  party  v>  horn  you  can  confide  in,  as  in  your  judgment  the  case  may 
merit.  Should  you  meet  a  smaller  party  than  your  own.  I  make  no  doubt  you 
will  give  a  good  account  of  them,  provided  you  can  effect  it  without  risk  of 
frustrating  your  principal  object.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  this 
12th  day  of  April,  1782.  "Wm.  Ikvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"Captain  Uriah  Springer." 


10S  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

that  lie  intended  betraying  Captain  Springer,  and  all  the  party, 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  I  directed  a  board  of  officers 
to  inquire  into  his  conduct,  who  were  of  opinion  he  should 
Buffer  death.  1  ordered  him  executed;  he  was  shot  on  the  12th 
instant,  seemingly  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  other 
Indians.1 

Civil  authority  is  by  no  means  properly  established  in  this 
country,  which  I  doubt  not  proceeds  in  some  degree  from  in- 
attention in  the  executives  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.    Not 

1  John  Eels,  the  Indian,  was  executed  for  "  an  intention  of  making  his  es- 
cape to,  and  joining  the  enemy,  and  also  trying  to  prevail  on  others  to  do  the 
same,"  as  will  appear  from  the  following  record  of  General  Irvine's  orders  in- 
quiring into  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused: 

"Fort  Pitt,  April  11,  1782. 
"  A  board  of  officers  will  assemble  immediately  at  Colonel  Gibson's  quarters 
to  inquire  into  and  report  their  opinion  to  the  general  whether  John  Eels,  an 
Indian,  is  guilty  of  an  intention  of  making  his  escape  to  and  joining  the 
enemy  and  of  his  trying  to  prevail  on  others  to  do  the  same;  and  also  to  give 
their  opinion  in  case  he  did  go,  whether  it  was  or  not  evidently  his  intention 
to  discover  to  the  enemy  the  design  of  the  party  under  Captain  Springer,  of 
which  he  was  to  have  been  one.  Colonel  Gibson  [is  to  bej  president;  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonels Wuibert  and  [Stephen]  Bayard,  Major  [Isaac]  Craig  and 
Captain  [John]  Clark,  members.  If  the  board  is  of  opinion  John  Eels  is 
guilty,  they  will  please  to  mention  in  their  report  what  punishment  should  be 
inflicted." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  April  12,  1782. 
"At  a  board  of  officers  of  which  Colonel  Gibson  is  president, —  to  inquire 
and  report  their  opinion  whether  John  Eels,  an  Indian,  is  guilty  of  an  inten- 
tion of  making  his  escape  to  and  joining  the  enemy,  and  trying  to  prevail  on 
others  to  do  the  same,  and  also  to  report  their  opinion  whether  it  was  not  evi- 
dently his  intention  to  discover  to  the  enemy  the  design  of  the  party  under 
Captain  Springer,  of  which  In:  was  to  have  been  one;  the  board  reports  to 
General  Irvine  as  their  opinion  that  John  Eels,  an  Indian,  is  guilty  of  an  in- 
tention of  making  his  escape  to  and  joining  the  enemy,  and  also  trying  to 
prevail  on  others  to  do  the  same.  The  board  further  reports  it  is  their  opin- 
ion that  if  he  had  gone  oil',  Captain  Springer  and  the  party  under  his  com- 
mand must  have  h-en  discovered  and  the  design  of  the  party.  The  board  is 
of  opinion  that  John  Eels  ought  to  Buffer  <l<'.ith  asatraitor.  The  general  con- 
firms the  opinion  of  the  board,  and  directs  that  John  Eels,  an  Indian,  shall  be 
shot  to  death  this  day  at  one  o'clock  at  the  loot  of  the  gallows  on  the  bank  of 
the  Alleghany  river.  The  major  of  brigade  will  see  this  order  executed.  A 
party  consisting  of  one  BubalU'rn,  one  sergeant,  one  corporal,  one  drum,  one 
fife,  and  twenty  rank  and  file,  properly  armed  and  accoutred  will  attend  at 
the  execution, —  to  parade  at  half  past  twelve." 


I/vine  to  Washington.  109 

running  the  boundary  line  is,  I  think,  a  proof  of  this,  which 
is  at  present  an  excuse  for  neglects  of  duty  of  all  kinds,  for 
at  least  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of  the  line.  More  evils 
will  arise  from  this  neglect,  than  people  are  aware  of.  Emi- 
grations and  new  states  are  much  talked  of.  Advertisements 
are  set  up,  announcing  a  day  to  assemble  at  Wheeling,  for  all 
who  wish  to  become  members  of  a  new  state  on  the  Mus- 
kingum.   A  certain  Mr.  J !  is  at  the  head  of  this  party; 

he  is  ambitious,  restless,  and  some  say  disaffected.  Most  peo- 
ple, however,  agree  he  is  open  to  corruption;  he  has  been  in 
England  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  war.  Should 
these  people  actually  emigrate,  they  must  be  either  entirely 
cutoff,  or  immediately  take  protection  from  the  British,  which 
I  fear  is  the  real  design  of  some  of  the  party,  though  I  think 
a  great  majority  have  no  other  views  than  to  acquire  lands. 
As  I  apprehended  taking  cognizance  of  these  matters  would 
come  best  from  the  civil  authority,  I  have  written  to  the  gov- 
ernors of  Virginia2  and  Pennsylvania3  on  the  subject,  which 
I  should  not  have  done,  till  I  had  first  acquainted  your  excel- 
lency thereof,  but  for  this  consideration,  namely,  that  the  20th 
of  May  is  the  day  appointed  for  the  emigrants  to  rendezvous; 
consequently,  a  representation  from  you  would  be  too  late,  in 
case  the  states  should  think  proper  to  take  measures  to  pre- 
vent them.4  I  am  much  embarrassed  by  the  scanty  and  irregu- 
lar supply  of  provision.  I  intend  to  write  to  Mr.  Morris  on 
this  head.  

X. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  2, 17S2. 
Sir:  —  I  did  not  receive  your  excellency's  letter  of  the  22d 
of  March  until  two  days  ago.     I  shall  observe  your  directions 
respecting  the  roads,  etc.,  leading  to  Niagara.     As  yet,  I  have 

1  This  blank  is  filled,  in  the  original,  with  the  surname  of  the  leader  of  the 
new  state  scheme.     I  have  thought  best  to  omit  it. 

2  See  Irvine  to  Governor  Benjamin  Harrison,  April  20,  1782,  Appendix  H. 

3  See  Irvine  to  Wm.  Moore,  May  9,  1782,  Appendix  G. 

4  Gen.  Irvine  had  previously  mentioned  the  subject  of  emigration  to  the 
Indian  country  and  of  a  new  state,  to  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  in  a  let'.er 
dated  December  3,  1781  (see  first  letter  of  Appendix  Gj;  and,  in  reply,  that 
official  suggested  a  plan  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  people  from  the  scheme. 


110  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

not  been  able  to  fall  in  with  any  person  who  has  even  a  toler- 
able knowledge  of  them.  There  has  been  very  little  communi- 
cation with  that  quarter  since  last  war;  and  few  of  the  people 
who  were  then  employed  are  now  living.  Several  of  the  officers 
who  went  with  Colonel  Brodhead,  in  1770,  up  the  Alleghany, 
Bay  they  marched  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  to  a 
creek  called  Connewango.1  They  were  informed  that  it  took 
its  rise  about  thirty  miles  from  that  place  in  a  small  lake; 
that,  at  this  lake,  the  waters  divided;  other  small  streams  run 
out  oE  it  towards  Niagara,  and  that  thence  the  country  was 
pretty  level  and  neither  rivers  nor  morasses  of  any  conse- 
quence in  the  way.  As  far  as  Colonel  Brodhead  went,  it  was 
almost  impassable  either  by  water  or  land.  The  greater  part 
of  the  way  along  the  river  was  one  continued  defile.  They 
went  in  September:  at  that  season,  it  was  with  difficulty  they 
got  up  some  small  canoes,  and  this  on  the  main  branch  of  the 
Alleghany.  They  took  pack-horses  along.  Some  say  they 
were  at  one  time  not  more  than  thirty  miles  from  General 
Sullivan's  line  of  march,  or  rather  I  believe  the  extreme  point 
he  marched  to.2 

I  have  it  in  report  from  officers  and  others,  that  French 
creek  from  Venango3  to  Le  Boeuf4  is  so  full  of  timber  that 

1  This  creek  rises  on  the  line  between  Chautauqua  and  Cattaraugus  coun- 
ties, New  York,  flowing  along  their  boundaries,  then  curving  across  the  south- 
east part  of  the  first  mentioned  count}',  receiving,  meanwhile,  Cassadaga 
creek  and  the  outlet  of  Chautauqua  lake;  pursuing  thence  a  south  course,  to 
the  Alleghany  river,  which  it  enters  at  Warren,  in  Warren  count}',  Pennsyl- 
vania. An  army  moving  from  Pittsburgh  up  the  Alleghany  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Connewango,  thence  up  that  creek  and  through  Chautauqua  lake  to  its 
head,  would  have  had  a  portage  of  only  eight  miles  to  Lake  Erie. 

2  See  Introduction,  pp.  42-44,  where  particulars  of  Brodhead's  expedi- 
tion are  recited.  Major-General  John  Sullivan  in  August,  1779,  commanded 
an  expedition  against  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations  from  Tioga  Point  on  the 
Susquehanna.  He  laid  waste  their  settlements,  especially  upon  the  Genessee 
river,  which  was  the  farthest  point  to  the  westward  reached  by  him.  On  his 
way  out,  he  inflicted  a  severe  defeat  upon  the  Indians  under  Brant  and  the 
Tories  under  Sir  John  Johnson,  at  what  is  now  Newtown,  New  York. 

3  Venango  was  the  site  of  a  French  fort  which  was  destroyed  in  August, 
1759.  It  was  afterward  occupied  as  a  British  post,  the  garrison  being  mur- 
dered by  the  savages  in  17G:).  It  was  at  or  near  the  present  town  of  Frank- 
lin, Pennsylvania. 

4  The  French  burned  Fort  Le  Boeuf  at  the  same  time  Venango  was  destroyed. 


limine  to   Washington.  Ill 

it  would  take  great  labor  to  clear  it,  and  that,  in  the  summer 
season,  it  is  a  very  small  stream.  From  Le  Boeuf  to  Presq 
Isle,1  the  old  bridged  road  is  entirely  rotten  and  under  water. 
These  gentlemen  assert  that  it  would  be  easier  to  make  a  new 
road  than  to  repair  the  old  one.  By  these  accounts,  it  appears 
almost  impracticable  to  march  any  but  light  troops,  without 
artillery  or  heavy  stores  or  baggage.  I  will,  however,  continue 
to  get  the  best  accounts  in  my  power  and  transmit  them  to 
your  excellency. 

In  my  letter  of  the  20th  of  April,  I  mentioned  that  the 
troops  were  reduced  to  obedience.  Since  that  time,  desertions 
have  been  numerous,  and  though  nothing  like  general  mutiny 
has  taken  place,  yet  several  individuals  have  behaved  in  the 
most  daring  and  atrocious  manner,  two  of  whom  are  now 
under  sentence  and  shall  be  executed  to-morrow,  which  I  hope 
will  check  these  proceedings.2 

I  have  sent  several  officers  mounted  after  the  deserters,  who 

This  post,  like  Fort  Venango,  was  afterward  occupied  by  the  British,  but 
the  garrison  was  cut  oft'  in  Pontiac's  war,  except  one  officer  and  seven  men. 

1  There  was  a  fort  at  Presq'  Isle  erected  by  the  French,  but  destroyed  by 
them  when  Fort  Le  Boeuf  and  Fort  Venango  were  burned.  It  was  a  British 
post  subsequently;  but  its  garrison  was  cut  off  in  the  war  of  1763,  by  the 
savages.     It  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 

2 The  following  is  from  the  MS.  orderly  book  of  General  Irvine: 

"April  30,  1782. 
"  After  Orders. 

"At  a  general  court  martial,  of  which  Colonel  Gibson  is  president  —  John 
Phillips  and  Thomas  Steed,  soldiers  in  the  seventh  Virginia  regiment,  were 
tried  for  mutiny  and  disobedience  of  orders  in  opposing  by  violence  and  mak- 
ing an  actual  attack  upon  their  officer  [Lieutenant  Samuel  Bryson  of  the 
second  Pennsylvania  regimentl  when  in  the  execution  of  his  office  [as  com- 
mandant of  Fort  Mcintosh],  by  which  a  post  of  consequence  belonging  to  the 
United  States  was  in  danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The 
court  having  duly  considered  the  evidence  and  the  defense  of  the  prisoners 
are  of  opinion  that  they  are  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  third  and  fifth  articles 
of  the  second  section  of  the  articles  of  war.  and  do  sentence  the  prisoners 
Thomas  Steed  and  John  Phillips  to  suffer  death. 

''It  is  always  with  pain  that  General  Irvine  orders  any  punishment  inflicted 
on  a  soldier;  but,  in  crimes  of  so  heinous  a  nature,  which,  in  their  tendency, 
endanger  not  only  the  safety  and  fives  of  some  thousands  of  the  good  people 
of  this  part  of  the  country,  but  ultimately  might  be  attended  witli  ruinous 
consequences  to  the  cause  and  interests  of  the  United  States  —on  these  prin- 
ciples, the  general  would  think  himself  criminal  were  he  to  suffer  men  so 


112  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

take  different  routes;  and  I  sent  by  them  circular  letters  to 
the  county  lieutenants  and  militia  officers,  by  which  means  I 
hope  to  have  some  of  them  taken.1 


XL —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  7,  ITS 2. 
Sir: — Since  my  last  letter  to  your  excellency,  [Lieutenant] 
Colonel  Wuibert,2  the  engineer,  has  been  continually  teasing  me 

evidently  guilty  of  the  highest  crimes  which  a  soldier  can  possibly  be  guilty 
of,  to  escape.     The  general  approves  and  confirms  the  sentence." 
The  following  petition  was  sent  to  Irvine  by  the  condemned  soldiers: 

"  To  the  Honorable  Brigadier  General  William  Irvine,  Esq.,  commanding 
the  Western  Department: 
"Honorable  Sir: — Your  poor,  unhappy,  dying  petitioners  humbly  beg  of 
your  honor's  goodness  to  spare  our  lives  for  the  space  of  some  time  longer 
that  we  may  make  our  peace  with  the  Almighty  God,  we  being  in  a  bad  situ- 
ation to  resign  our  mortality  and  change  it  to  immortality.  We  hope  and 
beg  of  your  honor  to  grant  us  this  request  in  this  our  last  dying  moments, 
and  we  hope  the  Almighty  God  will  ever  bless  and  requite  your  goodness 
hereafter. 

"  From  your  honor's  sincere,  penitent  and  humble  petitioners, 

"John  Piiillips, 
"Thomas  Steed. 
"Fort  Pitt  Guard  House,  April  30,  1782." 

The  following  additional  orders  were  issued  by  Irvine: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  May  2,  1782. 

"  John  Phillips  and  Thomas  Steed,  soldiers  in  the  seventh  Virginia  regi- 
ment under  sentence  of  death,  are  to  be  executed  to-morrow  forenoon  between 
the  hours  of  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  May  3,  1782. 
"  Morning  Orders. 

"  One  subaltern,  one  sergeant,  one  corporal,  one  drum  and  all  the  fifers  in 
the  garrison,  twenty  rank  and  file,  properly  armed  and  accoutred  will  attend 
the  execution.  Captain  Brady  as  officer  of  the  day  will  see  it  performed. 
The  party  will  parade  at  eleven  o'clock. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  general  is  determined  to  keep  up  subordination  and 
strict  discipline,  he  nevertheless  has  feelings  of  humanity.  Though  con- 
strained by  duty  to  make  examples  in  full  expectation  that  the  example 
shown  this  day  will  evince  this,  and  in  compassion  for  his  youth,  in  hopes  he 
may  be  reclaimed  and  yet  make  a  good  soldier  and  citizen,  the  general  is 
pleased  to  pardon  John  Phillips."  Steed  was  executed.  (See  Appendix 
M,—  Bryaon  to  Irvine,  April  29,  1782.) 

1  See  Marshel  to  Irvine,  May  1,  1782,  Appendix  J. 

5  A  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  continental  corps  of  engineers. 


Irvine  to  Washington..  Ill 

for  leave  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  which  I  informed  him  I  could 
by  no  means  grant  without  your  permission.  If  your  excel- 
lency has  nothing  more  in  view  for  him  in  this  quarter  than 
barely  to  superintend  repairing  the  works  at  this  post,  his 
attendance  may,  without  injury  to  the  service,  be  dispensed 
with,  especially  as  Major  [Isaac]  Craig  of  artillery  is  on  the 
spot,  whose  knowledge  of  the  executive  part  I  have  more  de- 
pendence on  than  Colonel  "Wuibert's.  This  accompanies  his 
letter  on  the  subject.1 

XII. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  21,  1782. 
Sir: — A  number  of  the  principal  people  of  this  country 
made  application  to  me,  about  two  weeks  since,  for  my  con- 
sent to  their  collecting  a  body  of  volunteers  to  go  against 
Sandusky,2  which  I  agreed  to  on  these  express  conditions:  that 
they  did  not  mean  to  extend  their  settlements,3  nor  had  any- 
thing in  view  but  to  harass  the  enemy,  with  an  intention  to 
protect  the  frontier,  and  that  any  conquests  they  might  make 
should  be  in  behalf  and  for  the  United  States;  that  they 
would  be  governed  by  military  laws  as  militia;  that  they  must 
collect  such  numbers  as  might  probably  be  successful;  and, 
lastly,  that  they  would  equip  themselves  and  victual  at  their 
own  expense.  They  are  accordingly  assembling  this  day  at 
the  Mingo  Bottom,4  all  on  horseback,'  with   thirty  days'  pro. 

1  The  desired  permission  was  granted.  See  Appendix  M, —  Wuibert  to 
Irvine,  no  date. 

2  By  "  Sandusky,"  General  Irvine  meant  a  "Wyandot  Indian  town  and  set- 
tlement upon  the  Sandusky  river  in  what  is  now  Wyandot  county,  Ohio.  It 
was  then  a  rendezvous  for  British  Indians  of  the  northwest,  preparatory  to 
their  striking  the  western  borders  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Near  by 
were  located  Shawanese,  Mingoes,  Monseys,  Delawares  and  Ottawas.  It  was 
in  easy  communication  with  Detroit,  headquarters  of  British  troops  for  the 
whole  country  west  of  Niagara. 

3  Irvine  here  refers  to  the  scheme  of  some  of  the  borderers  of  making  new 
settlements  upon  the  western  or  Indian  side  of  the  Ohio  river,  especially  upon 
the  Muskingum  —  the  "  new  state  scheme." 

4  The  Mingo  Bottom  here  spoken  of  by  General  Irvine  was  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Ohio,  a  little  above  but  across  the  river  from  what  is  now  Steubenville, 


111+  'Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

visions.  They  have  asked  of  me  only  a  few  flints  and  a  small 
supply  of  powder. 

As  they  will  elect  their  officers,  I  have  taken  some 
pains  to  get  Colonel  [William]  Crawford1  appointed  to  corn- 
Ohio.  There  was  also  a  Mingo  bottom  below,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio 
(ante,  p.  100,  note),  at  which  place  the  volunteers,  after  crossing  the  river,  were 
to  choose  their  officers  and  march  thence  directly  for  Sandusky. 

1  William  Crawford  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Virginia;  his  fam- 
ily, however,  early  moved  to  Frederick  county,  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge.  Here 
he  married  Hannah  Vance.  He  was  about  ten  years  older  than  Washington, 
but  was  taught  by  the  latter  the  art  of  surveying.  Up  until  the  commence- 
ment of  the  old  French  war,  Crawford's  principal  duties  were  such  as  usually 
appertain  to  a  farmer's  life.    In  1755,  he  forsook  the  compass  and  the  plow  for 

"  The  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war," 

receiving  from  the  governor  of  Virginia  a  commission  as  ensign.  He  was  first 
employed  in  garrison  duty,  or  as  a  scout  upon  the  frontiers.  In  175S,  he 
marched  with  the  Virginia  troops  under  Washington  to  Fort  Dnqucsne.  whic  h 
post  was  reached  and  occupied  in  November.  Crawford  remained  in  the  ser- 
vice, being  promoted  first  to  a  lieutenantcy  —  afterwards  commissioned  as 
captain.  At  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  returned  to  his  home  and  resumed  his 
labors  of  farmer  and  surveyor.  In  Pontiac's  war,  which  followed  the  seven 
years'  war,  he  took  an  active  part,  doing  efficient  service  in  protecting  the 
;  frontiers  from  savage  incursions. 

While  in  the  Virginia  army,  Crawford  became  familiar  with  the  country 
watered  by  the  Monongahela  and  its  branches.  He  had,  indeed,  become  en- 
amored of  the  trans- Alleghany  region,  and  resolved,  at  some  future  day  to 
make  it  his  home.  The  time  had  now  arrived  to  put  his  resolution  into  prac- 
tical effect.  Early,  therefore,  in  the  summer  of  17G5,  he  reached  the  You- 
ghiogheny  river,  where,  at  a  place  then  known  as  "Stewart's  Crossings,"  in 
what  is  now  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  he  chose  his  future  residence; 
moving  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  three  children,  over  the  moun- 
tains in  the  spring  of  17G6.  With  Crawford,  at  this  place,  the  next  year, 
Washington  opened  a  correspondence,  which  continued  until  near  the  time 
of  the  above  letter.  (See  The  Washington-Crawford  Letters.  Cincinnati: 
Ptobert  Clarke  &  Co.) 

Among  the  first  employments  of  Crawford  after  his  removal,  besides  farm- 
ing, were  surveying  and  trading  with  the  Indians.  During  the  year  1770,  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  for  his  county,  Cumberland, 
then  the  most  westerly  county  of  Pennsylvania.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year, 
he  received  a  visit,  at  his  humble  cabin  upon  the  Youghiogheny,  from  Wash- 
ington, who  was  then  on  a  tour  down  the  Ohio.  Crawford  accompanied  his 
friend  to  the  Great  Kanawha,  the  party  returning  to  "Stewart's  Crossings" 
late  in  November,  whence  Washington  leisurely  made  his  way  back  to  Mt. 
Vernon. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  116 

mand,  and  hope  he  will  be.  He  left  me  yesterday  on  li is  way 
down  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  lie  does  not  wish  to  go 
with   a    smaller    number    than    four    hundred;    whether    this 

In  March,  1771,  Bedford  couuly  having  been  formed  from  that  part  of 
Cumberland  including  the  home  of  Crawford,  be  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Penn  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  for  the  new  county;  and  in  177:5,  the 
erection  of  Westmoreland  from  Bedford  taking  in  his  residence,  he  was  com- 
missioned one  of  the  "justices  of  the  court  of  general  quarter  sessions  of  the 
peace,  and  of  the  county  court  of  common  pleas  "for  that  county.  As  he 
was  first  named  on  the  list  of  justices,  he  became  by  courtesy  and  usage  the 
president  judge  of  Westmoreland  —  the  first  to  hold  that  office  in  the  county. 
He  was,  the  same  year,  appointed  surveyor  for  the  Ohio  company,  by  the  col- 
lege of  William  and  Mary. 

In  177:3,  Lord  Dunmore,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  paid  a  visit  to  Crawford 
at  his  house  upon  the  Youghiogheny,  the  occasion  being  turned  to  profitable 
account  by  both  parties;  by  the  Earl,  in  getting  reliable  information  of  desir- 
able lands;  by  Crawford,  in  obtaining  promises  for  patents  for  such  as  he  had 
sought  out  and  surveyed.  The  next  year  — 1774  —  occurred  "Lord  Dun- 
rnore's  war,1'  a  conflict  between  the  Virginians  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Shaw- 
anese  and  Mingoes,  principally,  on  the  other.  In  this  contest,  Crawford  was 
a  prominent  actor;  — first  as  captain  of  a  company  on  a  scouting  expedition, 
building,  subsequently,  along  with  Major  Angus  McDonald,  a  fort  at  the 
present  site  of  Wheeling;  afterwards  as  major  in  command  of  troops  belong- 
ing to  the  division  of  the  army  which  descended  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of 
Hocking  river,  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Ohio.  The  only  fighting  done  in 
the  Indian  country  after  the  bloody  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  on  the  tenth  of 
October,  was  by  a  detachment  under  Crawford,  in  what  is  now  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  surprised  and  destroyed  two  Mingo  villages,  securing  some 
prisoners  as  well  as  considerable  amount  of  plunder,  and  rescuing  two  white 
captives. 

The  interest  taken  by  Crawford  in  this  war  operated  greatly  to  prejudice 
his  Pennsylvania  friends  against  him  ;  for,  among  them,  the  conflict  had  been 
an  exceedingly  unpopular  one.  Crawford,  who,  at  first  had  sided  with  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  boundary  controversy  subsisting  between  it  and  Virginia,  now 
took  part  with  the  latter;  so  he  was  ousted  from  all  offices  held  by  him  under 
authority  of  the  former  province.  In  December,  1774,  he  had  been  commis- 
sioned by  Dunmore  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  justice  of  oyer  and  terminer 
for  the  county  of  Augusta,  the  court  to  be  held  at  Fort  Dunmore  (Pittsburgh). 
He  did  not  qualify,  however,  for  these  offices  until  after  he  had  been  super- 
seded in  those  held  by  him  under  Pennsylvania  authority.  Augusta  county, 
as  claimed  by  Virginia,  included  Crawford's  home  upon  the  Youghiogheny; 
afterwards  the  district  of  West  Augusta  was  formed  out  of  that  county. 
Crawford's  place  of  residence  then  fell  in  that  district.  Finally,  when 
Yohogania  county  was  established,  his  cabin  came  within  its  boundaries  and 
so  remained  until  Virginia  relinquished  her  claim  to  southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania. 


11G  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

number  will   assemble     I    cannot     say.      lie    pressed     me 
for    sums     officers.       I    have    sent    with    him     Lieutenant 

Crawford  not  only  took  office  under  Virginia,  but  he  became  an  active 
partisan  in  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  his  native  province  over  the  disputed 
territory.  Some  of  his  acts  were  doubtless  oppressive,  though  he  soon  atoned 
for  them  in  his  patriotic  course  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution. 
The  partisan  feeling  in  his  breast  immediately  gave  place  to  the  noble  one  of 
patriotism.     He  struck  hands  with  Pennsylvanians  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

In  1776,  Crawford  entered  the  revolutionary  service  as  lieutenant-colonel  of 
the  fifth  Virginia  regiment  —  William  Peachy,  colonel.  He  remained  with 
his  regiment  until  called  to  the  command  of  the  seventh  in  place  of  William 
Dangerfield,  resigned.  Afterwards,  being  assigned  to  the  duty  of  raising  a 
new  regiment  —  the  thirteenth  Virginia  —  he  resigned  his  command  of  the 
seventh.  His  time  thus  far  had  been  spent  east  of  the  mountains;  but  now, 
late  in  the  year,  he  returned  to  his  home;  as  the  thirteenth  —  "  West  Augusta 
regiment"  —  was  to  be  raised  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  In  August,  1777, 
with  abont  two  hundred  of  his  new  levies,  Crawford  joined  the  main  army 
under  Washington,  who  was  then  near  Philadelphia.  He  rendered  efficient 
service  in  the  preliminary  movements  which  resulted  in  the  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  and  in  that  contest  not  only  took  an  active  and  prominent  part,  but 
came  near  being  captured.  He  was  also,  it  seems,  in  the  battle  of  German- 
town.  Just  before  this,  General  Joseph  Reed  wrote  Washington  that  he  had 
"  Colonel  Crawford  "  with  him,  "  a  very  good  officer." 

Late  in  1777,  Crawford  returned  to  his  home,  having  been  sent  to  the  west 
by  Wa-hington  to  take  a  command  under  Brigadier-General  Edward  Hand. 
The  commander-in-chief,  in  writing  to  the  board  of  war  on  the  twenty-third 
of  the  followiug  May,  spoke  of  Crawford  as  "a  brave  and  active  officer." 
His  being  ordered  to  the  western  department,  lost  him  the  command  of  the 
thirteenth  Virginia  and  his  place  in  the  continental  line,  which  Washington, 
although  he  regretted  the  circumstance,  could  not  get  restored  to  him.  Under 
Brigadier-General  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  who  succeeded  Hand  in  August,  1778, 
at  Pittsburgh,  Crawford  took  command  of  the  militia  of  the  western  counties 
of  Virginia  and  had  in  charge  the  building  of  Port  Mcintosh  at  what  is  now 
Beaver,  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  marched  with  that  officer  into 
the  Indian  country  in  November,  in  command  of  a  brigade,  and  was  present 
at  the  building  in  December  of  Fort  Laurens,  upon  the  west  bank  of  the 
Tuscarawas  river,  in  what  is  now  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio.  He  returned 
soon  after  to  his  home,  and,  in  the  spring,  again  marched  under  Mcintosh 
into  the  wilderness  to  the  relief  of  that  post.  Crawford  had  now  but  few 
prospects  before  him  in  a  military  way,  nevertheless  he  lost  no  opportunity, 
when  called  upon,  in  serving  his  country;  for  he  still  held  his  commission  as 
colonel,  and  continued  to  hold  it  until  his  death. 

Notwithstanding  the  time  spent  by  him  in  the  army,  Crawford  found  leis- 
ure to  fill  several  positions  of  honor  and  trust  to  which  he  had  been  called  by 
his  fellow  citizens  at  home.  In  November,  1770,  he  was  appointed  deputy- 
surveyor  of  Yohogania  county,  and  sat  at  intervals  in  1777  and  the  following 


Irvine  to  Washington.  117 

Rose,1  my  aid-de-camp,  a  very  vigilant,  active,  brave  young 
gentleman,  well    acquainted   with    service;    and   a   surgeon.'2 

year  as  one  of  its  judges.  In  177*,  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners  for  ad- 
justing' and  settling  the  boundary  line  between  Yohogania  and  Ohio  counties, 
Virginia;  and,  in  1779,  was  commissioned  as  surveyor  of  his  county,  continu- 
ing in  that  office  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  before  the  return  of 
the  expedition  spoken  of  by  Irvine  as  assembling  at  Mingo  Bottom.  (See 
last  note  to  letter  XIV,  following.) 

1  John  Rose,  familiarly  known  at  Fort  Pitt  as  "  Major  Rose."  His  real 
name  was  Gustavus  H.  de  Rosenthal,  or,  more  correctly,  Henri  Gustavo 
Rosenthal.  He  was  a  Russian  nobleman.  Becoming  involved  in  a  duel,  he 
killed  his  antagonist  and  fled  his  country.  He  arrived  in  America  in  the 
early  days  of  the  revolution;  made  his  appearance  in  the  cantonments  of  the 
patriot  army,  and  gave  his  name  as  simply  John  Rose,  studiously  concealing 
lhs  rank  and  birth.  He  was  a  fine  looking  young  man ;  spoke  the  French 
language,  and  having  taken  a  brief  course  of  surgery,  in  Baltimo  re,  was  ap- 
pointed subsequently  surgeon  of  the  seventh  Pennsylvania  regiment,  having 
previously  done  duty  as  a  surgeon's  mate  in  one  of  the  army  hospitals.  At 
length,  owing  to  a  feeling  of  jealousy  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  American 
officers  against  foreigners,  he  resigned  his  position  in  his  regiment  and  volun- 
teered as  surgeon  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States,  only  to  be  taken  prisoner 
by  the  British  and  carried  to  New  York.  After  being  exchanged,  he  returned 
to  Pennsylvania;  was  made  ensign  in  a  company  of  the  fourth  regiment  of 
that  state,  and  lieutenant  on  the  first  of  April,  1781.  On  the  eighth  of  July 
following,  General  Irvine  appointed  him  his  aid.  Upon  Irvine  taking  com- 
mand at  Pittsburgh,  he  brought  with  him  Lieutenant  Rose;  and,  as  above 
stated,  when  the  expedition  against  Sandusky  was  planned,  he  was  permitted 
by  the  general  to  accompany  it.  He  still  kept  his  secret,  but  Irvine  had  had 
strong  suspicions  ever  since  first  making  his  acquaintance,  of  his  exalted 
character  and  station.  He  remained  in  the  west  until  the  return  of  the  gen- 
eral from  Fort  Pitt,  occasionally,  as'  duty  required,  visiting  Carlisle  and  Phila- 
delphia. The  troops  under  Irvine  were  paid  off,  for  the  last  time,  by  him.  In 
the  fall  of  1783,  he  was  secretary  to  the  council  of  censors  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1784  sailed  for  Europe,  to  return  to  his  home,  having 
received  complete  immunity  from  his  sovereign.  Before  leaving  he  revealed 
his  real  history  to  Irvine.  Pennsylvania  rewarded  him  in  land  for  his  valua- 
able  services.  Afterward,  he  held  an  office  of  honor  under  the  emperor  of 
Russia.     He  was  born  in  1753  and  died  in  Rival  June  26,  1829. 

*  Dr.  John  Knight.  He  was  born  in  Scotland  in  the  year  1751.  He  sub- 
sequently, in  England,  gained  some  knowledge  of  medicine.  He  came  to 
America  in  1773.  Migrating  to  the  west,  he  enlisted  in  1776,  as  a  private  in 
the  thirteenth  Virginia  regiment,— afterward  the  ninth,  but  at  date  of  the 
above  letter,  the  seventh,  of  which  John  Gibson  was  colonel.  Soon  after  en- 
listing, he  was  made  sergeant,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  Ger- 
mantown,  and  other  engagements.  On  the  ninth  of  August,  1778,  he  was 
appointed  surgeon's  mate  of  his  regiment,  which  office  he  held  at  the  time  he 


118  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

These  two  are  all  I  could  venture  to  spare.  Several  were  so- 
licitous for  my  going,  but  I  did  not  think  myself  at  liberty, 
consistent  with  the  spirit  of  your  excellency's  instructions; 
nor  are  we  in  such  a  situation  that  I  could  take  a  single 
continental  soldier  along,  particularly  as  the  volunteers  are 
all  mounted.  If  their  number  exceeds  three  hundred,  I  am 
of  opinion  they  may  succeed,  as  their  march  will  be  so  rapid 
they  will  probably  in  a  great  degree  effect  a  surprise. 

I  cannot  find  a  man  in  this  country  who  has  a  tolerable 
knowledge  of  the  road  to  Niagara.  There  are  numbers  who 
are  acquainted  to  the  heads  of  Alleghany;  thence,  I  think, 
the  people  of  the  state  of  New  York  are  better  acquainted 
than  any  this  way. 

P.  S. —  The  volunteers  have  sent  requesting  my  instructions ' 

was  spared  by  Irvine  to  go  upon  the  Sandusky  expedition.  He  continued  his 
duties  as  surgeon's  mate  until  the  close  of  the  war.  On  the  fourteenth  of 
October,  1734,  he  married  Polly  Stephenson,  daughter  of  Richard  Stephenson, 
half  brother  of  Colonel  William  Crawford.  He  subsequently  moved  to  Shelby 
county,  Kentucky,  where  he  died  on  the  twelfth  of  March,  1838,  the  father 
of  ten  children. 

1  The  "instructions  "  afterward  sent  by  Irvine  were  as  follow: 

"Fort  Pitt,  May  14,  1782. 

"  To  the  officer  who  will  be  appointed  to  command  a  detachment  of  volun- 
teer militia,  on  an  expedition  against  the  Indian  town  at  or  near  Sandusky. 

"Sir  —  When  an  officer  is  detached,  though  he  may  have  general  instruc- 
tions, yet  much  must  depend  on  his  own  prudence.  On  such  an  expedition  as 
the  present,  where  a  variety  of  unexpected  events  may  take  place,  I  think  it 
would  be  vain  to  attempt  being  particular.  In  general,  however,  it  is  incum- 
bent on  me  to  give  such  ideas  as  I  think  may  be  of  use. 

"The  object  of  your  command  is  to  destroy  with  fire  and  sword  (if  prac- 
ticable) the  Indian  town  and  settlements  at  Sandusky,  by  which  we  hope  to 
give  ease  and  safety  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  country;  but  if  impracticable, 
then  you  will  doubtless  perform  such  other  services  in  your  power  as  will,  in 
their  consequences,  have  a  tendency  to  answer  this  great  end. 

"Previous  to  taking  up  your  line  of  march,  it  wdl  be  highly  expedient  that 
all  matters  respecting  rank  or  command  should  be  well  determined  and 
clearly  understood,  as  far  at  least  as  first,  second  and  third.  This  precaution, 
in  case  of  accident  or  misfortune,  may  be  of  great  importance.  Indeed,  I 
think  whatever  rank  or  grade  may  be  fixed  on  to  have  commands,  their  rela- 
tive rank  should  be  determined.  And  as  it  is  indispensably  m-i-  -sary  that 
subordination  and  discipline  should  be  kept  up,  the  whole  ought  to  under- 
tli.ii,  notwithstanding  they  are  volunteers,  yei  by  this  tour  they  are  t<> 
get  credit  for  it  in  their  tours  of  militia  duty;  and  that  for  this  and  other 


Irvine  te  Washington.  119 

(which  I  will  send)  for  the  officer  who  may  be  appointed  to 
command.  The  troops  behave  remarkably  well  since  a  few 
examples  have  been  made.1 

good  reasons,  they  must,  while  out  on  this  duty,  consider  themselves,  to  all 
intents,  subject  to  the  militia  law  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the 
militia  when  in  actual  service. 

"Your  best  chance  for  success  will  be,  if  possible,  to  effect  a  surprise;  and 
though  this  will  be  difficult,  yet,  by  forced  and  rapid  marches,  it  may,  in  a 
great  degree,  be  accomplished.  I  am  clearly  of  opinion  that  you  should  reg- 
ulate your  last  day's  march  so  as  to  reach  the  town  about  dawn  of  day  or  a 
little  before,  and  that  the  march  of  this  day  should  be  as  long  as  can  well  be 
performed. 

"  I  need  scarcely  mention  to  so  virtuous  and  disinterested  a  set  of  men  as 
you  will  have  the  honor  to  command,  that,  though  the  main  object  at  present 
is  for  the  purposes  above  set  forth,  viz.,  the  protection  of  this  country,  yet 
you  are  to  consider  yourselves  as  acting  in  behalf  and  for  the  interest  of  the 
United  States.  That,  of  course,  it  will  be  incumbent  on  you  especially  who 
will  have  the  command,  and  on  every  individual,  to  act,  in  every  instance,  in 
such  a  manner  as  will  reflect  honor  on,  and  add  reputation  to,  the  American 
arms  —  always  having  in  view  the  law  of  arms,  of  nations,  or  independent 
states. 

"  Should  any  prisoners,  British,  or  in  the  service  or  pay  of  Britain  or  their 
allies,  fall  into  your  hands  —  if  it  should  prove  inconvenient  for  you  to  bring 
them  off.  you  will,  nevertheless,  take  special  care  to  liberate  them  on  parole, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  insure  liberty  for  an  equal  number  of  our  people  in 
their  hands.  There  are  individuals,  however,  who,  I  think  should  be  brought 
off  at  all  events,  should  the  fortune  of  war  throw  them  into  your  hands.  I  mean 
such  as  have  deserted  to  the  enemy  since  the  declaration  of  independence. 

"On  your  return,  whatever  your  success  may  be,  you  will  please  to  make 
report  to  me.  I  very  sincerely  wish  you  success;  and  am,  dear  sir,  your 
obedient  servant,  W.  Ihvine." 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Irvine  to  John  Lyon  more  than 
seventeen  years  after  these  instructions  were  sent,  is  confirmatory  of  them: 

"  Colonel  Crawford  was  on  the  continental  establishment  of  the  Virginia 
line.  The  troops  under  his  command,  at  the  time  he  fell,  were  volunteer 
militia,  part  Virginians  and  part  Pennsylvanians,  and  a  few  continental 
officers  whom  I  sent  to  assist  him.  All  the  troops  both  regulars  and  militia  in 
that  quarter,  were  at  that  time  under  my  orders.  In  looking  over  my  in- 
structions to  the  officer  who  should  be  appointed  to  command  that  expedition  — 
the  volunteers  were  allowed  to  chose  one,  and  they  elected  Colonel  Craw- 
ford—  I  find  he  was  enjoined  to  regulate  rank  of  officers  before  he  took  up 
his  line  of  march,  and  to  impress  on  their  minds  that  the  whole  must  from 
the  moment  they  marched  be  in  all  respects  subject  to  the  rules  and  articles 
of  war  for  the  regular  troops." 

1  Of  the  "  few  examples  "  referred  to  by  Irvine,  one  was  that  of  Thomas 
Steed  of  the  seventh  Virginia  regiment,  executed,  it  will  be  remembered,  on 


120  Wash  ington-lrvi/ne*  Correspondence. 


XIII. —  Washington  to  Irvim:. 

Head  Quarters,  Newbubgh,  May  22,  1782. 

Sir:  —  I  have  been  favored  with  your  two  letters  of  the  20th 
of  April  and  2nd  of  May  and  am  much  obliged  by  your  vigi- 
lance and  attention. 

An  extract  respecting  the  removing  and  supporting  of  the 
Indians,  I  have  transmitted  to  the  secretary  at  war,  and  de- 
sired him  to  take  measures  for  the  relief  and  comfort  of  those 
distressed  wretches.1 

the  3d  of  May.  He  and  the  Indian,  John  Eells,  were  the  only  ones  who  had, 
up  to  the  date  of  the  above  letter,  suffered  capitally  (although  a  number  had 
received  "one  hundred  lashes  well  laid  on  ")  since  Irvine's  advent  in  the 
western  department.  Another,  however,  soon  followed; — James  Gordon  be- 
ing executed  on  the  26th  day  of  May,  for  repeated  desertion  and  re-enlisting. 
He  was  tried  by  court  martial  on  the  24th  of  the  month  for  the  offenses  just 
named,  and  found  guilty  of  the  first  and  third  articles  of  the  sixth  section  of 
the  articles  of  war  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  order  approving  the  sen- 
tence read  as  follows : 

"  Gordon,  from  his  own  confession,  appears  to  have  made  a  trade  of  enlist- 
ing and  deserting.  So  great  an  offender  has  no  right  to  expect  pardon.  Such 
daring  perjury  and  such  willful  and  premeditated  determination,  so  often  re- 
peated (to  desert  and  re-enlist),  are  proofs  of  the  most  hardened  and  aban- 
doned villainy.     The  general  confirms  the  sentence." 

The  warrant  for  his  execution  was  in  these  words: 

"Sir:  —  James  Gordon  having  repeatedly  transgressed  the  laws  of  God 
and  his  country,  and  though  he  has  long  escaped  justice,  he  has  at  length 
been  caught,  tried  and  sentenced  to  die,  by  a  general  court  martial;  which 
sentence  has  been  approved.  You  will,  therefore,  cause  him  to  be  taken 
from  the  place  of  his  present  confinement,  to  the  usual  place  of  execution, 
this  day,  immediately  after  troop  beating,  where  he  is  to  be  shot  to  death;  for 
so  doing,  this  shall  be  your  warrant. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  May  26th,  1782. 

"  W.m.  Irvine,  B.  Gcn'l. 
"To  Capt.  Benj.  Biggs,  officer  of  the  day." 

The  final  order  for  his  execution  was  as  follows: 

"Morning  orders,  May  26,  1782.  James  Gordon,  under  sentence,  is  to  bo 
shot  this  morning  at  troop  beating.  A  detachment  properly  armed  and  ac- 
coutred will  attend  the  execution.  All  the  troops  will  be  marched  by  corps 
to  the  place  without  arms.  Captain  Biggs,  as  officer  of  the  day,  will  Bee  this 
order  executed.  The  new  guard  will  remain  with  their  corps  until  after  the 
execution." 

1  For  directions  of  the  secretary  at  war  concerning  these  Indians,  see  Ap- 
pendix B,— Lincoln  to  Irvine,  May  30,  1782. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  I .' 1 

Any  further  particulars  you  can  obtain  of  the  route  to 
Niagara  and  its  practicability,  you  will  please  to  forward  to 
me  as  early  as  possible;  the  more  minute  and  circumstantial, 
the  better. 


XIY. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  16, 1782. 
Sir: —  In  my  letter  of  the  21st  of  May,  I  mentioned  to  your 
excellency  that  a  body  of  volunteer  militia  was  assembling  at 
the  Mingo  Bottom  to  go  against  Sandusky.  The  inclosed  let- 
ters, one  from  Colonel  Williamson,1  second  in  command,  and 
the  other  from  Lieutenant  Rose,2  my  aid-de-camp,  contain  all 
the  particulars  of  this  transaction  which  have  yet  come  to  my 
knowledge.  I  am  of  opinion  had  they  reached  the  place  in 
seven  days,  instead  of  ten,  which  might  have  been  done,  es- 
pecially as  they  were  chiefly  mounted,  they  would  have  suc- 
ceeded. They  should  also  have  pushed  the  advantage  evidently 
gained  at  the  commencement  of  the  action.  They  failed  in 
another  point  which  they  had  my  advice  and  indeed  positive 
orders  for,  namely,  to  make  the  last  day's  march  as  long  as  pos- 
sible and  attack  the  place  in  the  night.  But  they  halted  in 
the  evening  within  nine  miles  and  tired  their  rifles  at  seven 
in  the  morning  before  they  marched.  These  people  now  seem 
convinced  that  they  cannot  perform  as  much  by  themselves  as 
they  sometime  since  thought  they  could.  Perhaps  it  is  right 
that  they  should  put  more  dependence  on  regular  troops.  I 
am  sorry  I  have  not  more  to  afford  them  assistance.3 

1  See  Williamson  to  Irvine,  June  13,  1782,  Appendix  M. 

2  Rose  to  Irvine,  June  13,  1782,  Appendix  M. 

3  This  letter  differs  somewhat  from  the  copy  retained  by  Irvine,  which  reads 
as  follows: 

"Fort  Pitt,  June  1G,  1782. 
"Sir:  —  In  my  letter  of  the  21st  of  May,  I  mentioned  to  your  excellency 
that  a  body  of  volunteer  militia  were  assembling  at  the  Mingo  Bottom  to  go 
against  Sandusky.  The  inclosed  letters,  one  from  Colonel  Williamson,  second 
in  command,  and  the  other  from  Lieutenant  Rose,  my  aid-de-camp,  contain 
all  the  particulars  of  this  transaction  which  have  yet  come  to  my  knowledge. 
I  am  of  opinion  the  cause  of  their  failure  was  owing  to  the  slowness  of  the 


122  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

XV. —  Ibvinb  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  1,  1782. 

Sir:  —  Your  excellency's  letter  of  the  22d   May  did  not 

come  to  hand  till  yesterday.  The  17th  of  June  I  sent  one 
active,  intelligent  white  man  with  an  Indian  to  explore  the 
country  towards  Niagara.     I  shall  take  the  earliest  oppor- 

march,  and  not  pushing  the  advantage  they  had  evidently  gained  at  their  first 
commencing  the  action.  They  were  ten  days  on  the  march,  when  it  might 
have  been  performed  in  seven,  particularly  as  tliey  were  chiefly  mounted;  my 
advice  was  to  attack  the  town  in  the  night,  but  instead  thereof  they  halted 
within  ten  miles  in  the  evening  and  did  not  take  up  their  line  of  march  till 
seven  in  the  morning.  These  people  now  seem  convinced  that  they  cannot  per- 
form as  much  by  themselves  as  they  sometime  since  thought  they  could;  per- 
haps it  is  right  that  they  should  put  more  dependence  on  regular  troops.  I 
am  sorry  I  have  not  more  to  afford  them  assistance."  [Immediately  follow- 
ing the  word  "knowledge,"  in  this  copy,  are  the  following  words,  which  have 
a  line  drawn  over  them :  "Dr.  Knight,  mentioned  in  Mr.  Rose's  letter,  is  one 
of  the  regimental  surgeons  of  this  garrison,  whom  I  spared  to  Colonel  Craw- 
ford and  is  also  missing."! 

Of  the  volunteers  who  went  upon  the  expedition  against  Sandusky,  about 
two-thirds  were  from  Washington  county;  the  residue,  except  a  few  from 
Ohio  county,  Virginia,  were  from  Westmoreland.  The  final  rendezvous  was 
at  the  Mingo  bottom  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio  river,  where,  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  day  of  May,  four  hundred  and  eighty,  finally,  congregated.  They 
distributed  themselves  into  eighteen  companies.  The  general  officers  elected 
were:  For  colonel-commandant,  Colonel  Wm.  Crawford;  for  four  field 
majors  (to  rank  in  the  order  named),  David  Williamson.  Thomas  Caddis, 
John  McClelland,  and  James  Brenton ;  for  brigade  major,  Daniel  Leet.  Dr. 
John  Knight  went  as  surgeon;  John  Rose,  as  aid.  The  guides  were  Thomas 
Nicholson,  John  Sloverand  Jonathan  Zane. 

The  volunteers  began  their  march  the  next  day  for  Sandusky.  All  were 
mounted.  <  in  tin'  fourth  of  June,  theenemy  were  encountered  a  short  distance 
north  of  what  is  now  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio.  They  numbered  some- 
thing  over  three  hundred,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  savages — Wyan- 
dots,  Delawares,  Mingoes,  and  "  bake  Indians" — and  a  company  of  rangers 

fr Detroit,  under  command  of  Captain  William  Caldwell.    A  battle  en- 

Bued,  with  the  advantage  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  The  loss  of  theenemy 
■  kil'ed— four  Indians  and  a  ranger  — and  eleven  wounded,  includ- 
ing Capt.  Caldwell;  the  American  loss  was  live  killed  and  nineteen  wounded. 
The  next  day  (June  5th)  the  enemy  were  re-enforced  by  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  forty  Shawanese  an  I  by  a  small  detachment  of  rangers. 
Crawford  called  a  council  of  war  and  it  was  decided  to  retreat. 

The  return  march  began  boob  after  dark  of  the  Bame  day,  but  was  attended 


Irvine  to  Washington.  J  .'J 

tunity  after  their  return  of  communicating  their  observations 
to  your  excellency,  if  they  appear  useful.  The  inclosed  copy 
of  a  letter  to  General  Lincoln  1  will  inform  your  excellency  of 
the  wishes  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  country,  and  also  of  my 
mode  of  treating  their  applications.2     I  hope  that,  as  well  as 

with  considerable  confusion.  The  main  portion  of  the  retreating  army  was 
joined  the  next  morning  by  some  straggling  parties,  so  that  the  whole  num- 
bered about  three  hundred;  and  the  retreat  was  continued.  Quite  a  number 
were  missing;  among  them  were  Col.  Crawford,  Dr.  Knight,  Major  McClel- 
land and  John  Slover.  In  the  afternoon  (June  Cth),  the  volunteers  were  over- 
taken by  a  force  of  the  enemy,  in  what  is  now  Crawford  county,  Ohio,  and  a 
warm  engagement  ensued;  but  the  pursurers  were  driven  off,  with  a  loss  to 
the  Americans  of  three  killed  and  eight  wounded.  The  expedition  finally 
reached  the  Mingo  bottom  on  their  return ;  and  re-crossed  the  Ohio  on  'the 
thirteenth  of  June,  having  with  them  a  number  of  their  wounded.  The  next 
day  the  army  disbanded.  The  entire  loss  was  about  fifty  men.  Of  those 
taken  by  the  enemy,  only  two  escaped —  Dr.  Knight  and  John  Slover.  A 
number  of  the  captured  were  tomahawked;  but  Colonel  Crawford,  his  son-in- 
law  ("Win.  Harrison),  and  a  few  others  (all  of  whom  had  been  made  prison- 
ers), were  tortured  at  the  stake.  The  first  named  perished  miserably,  amidst 
the  most  terrible  suffering,  on  the  eleventh  of  June,  in  what  is  now  Wyandot 
county,  Ohio.  (For  an  extended  narrative  of  this  campaign,  see  "An  His- 
torical Account  of  the  Expedition  against  Sandusky,  under  Col.  William 
Crawford,  in  1782;  With  Biographical  Sketches,  Personal  Reminiscences,  and 
Descriptions  of  Interesting  Localities ;  Including,  also,  Details  of  the  Disas- 
trous Retreat,  the  Barbarities  of  the  Savages,  and  the  Awful  Death  of  Craw- 
ford by  Torture.") 

1  See  Irvine  to  Lincoln,  1  July,  1782,  Appendix  B. 

2  The  following  account  describes  the  incipient  steps  taken  for  another  ex- 
pedition against  Sandusky:  — 

"  Whereas  our  friends  and  countrymen  [under  Col.  Wm.  Crawford]  hath 
unfortunately  miscarried  on  a  late  expedition  against  the  Indians  [at  San- 
dusky], which  was  intended  for  the  good  of  our  country  in  general, —  we  con- 
ceive we  should  be  lost  to  our  entire  and  common  interest  as  well  as  the 
memory  of  our  fellow  citizens  if  we  did  not  use  our  utmost  exertion  to  retali- 
ate and  convince  our  enemies  that  that  brave  handful  of  men  has  not  fallen 
unregarded. 

"  To  carry  this  expedition  with  apparent  success,  we  propose  acting  under 
General  Irvine  upon  it;  and  as  the  continental  troops  under  his  command 
cannot  be  supplied  with  the  necessary  quantity  of  provisions  through  the 
usual  channels,  we  do  hereby  pledge  our  faith  and  honor  to  furnish  the  pro- 
vision  and  the  necessary  horses  for  its  transportation  —  annexed  to  our  names 
respectively,  for  such  regular  officers  and  soldiers  as  General  Irvine  may  com- 
mand on  said  expedition,  exclusive  of  the  necessary  quantity  for  our  own  sub- 
sistence; and  do  acknowledge  to  be  bound  by  the  same  ties  to  render  any 


124  Wash  ington-Irvme  Correspondence. 


this  way  of  communication,  will  meet  your  excellency's  ap- 
probation. I  would  not  presume  to  go  on  any  account  with- 
out your  excellency's  express  orders,  or  at  least  permission, 
did  I  not  conceive  that  before  the  day  appointed  for  rendez- 
vousing, I  will  receive  information  if  any  movements  are  in- 
tended this  way,  this  campaigD,  as,  by  that  time,  it  will  be  full 
late  enough  to  undertake  anything  more  than  on  a  small  par- 
tisan way.  By  the  best  accounts  I  can  obtain,  we  may  lay 
out  our  accounts  to  have  to  fight  the  Shawanese,  Delawares, 
Wyandots,  Mingoes  and  JVfonseys;  in  all,  about  five  hundred. 
They  are  all  settled  in  a  line  from  lower  Sandusky  near  Lake 
Erie,  to  the  heads  of  the  Miami,  not  more  than  seventy  miles 
from  the  two  extremes.  Upper  Sandusky  lies  near  the  center. 
If  all  these  could  be  beat  at  once,  it  would  certainly  nearly, 
if  not  entirely,  put  an  end  to  the  Indian  war  in  this  quarter. 
Should  this  be  the  case,  it  would  be  much  best  that  some  con- 
tinental troops  should  be  convened  for  a  variety  of  reasons, 
which  I  need  not  trouble  your  excellency  with  an  explanation 
of  at  present;  which  are  inducements  forme  to  think  of  going 
with  so  few  regulars.  In  a  few  weeks,  I  hope  to  have  the  fort 
in  a  tolerable  state  of  defense  against  small  arms,  so  that 
there  will  be  less  risk  in  being  absent  a  few  weeks  with  some 
of  the  best  of  the  troops  than  heretofore.1 

personal  service,  or  furnish  a  man  to  do  the  same  without  fee  or  reward  ex- 
cept government  at  their  own  convenient  time  think  proper  to  reimburse  us. 

"Given  under  our  hands  ;it  Stewart's  Crossing's  [now  New  Haven,  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania],  this  22d  day  of  June,  1782. 

"  [Under  the  head  of  personal  service  there  is  then  put  down  forty-one  men; 

under  rations  of  flour,  thirty-one  hundred  and  eighty;  under  rations  of  meat, 

fifteen  hundred  ami  five;  horses,  ten.]     This  subscription  is  made  from  two 

companies  only.     There  is  reason  to  believe  there  will  be  more  subscribed 

from  them. 

"  RortKKT  Bkalt,, 

"  Thomas  MoOBE, 

"  Captains  of  Militia." 

[See  Appendix  K,— Irvine  to  Cook,  June  20,  1782.] 

1  De  Peyster,  commanding  at  Detroit,  earl;  received   intelligence  of  the 

contemplated  movement  of  <!<n>Mal  [rvine  ami  informed  General  Ealdimand, 

his  Baperior,  of  the  fact.     The  latter,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  on  the 

28th  of  July,  said :  — 

"A  letter  from  Major  De  Peyster  says  that  General  Irvine  is  to  take  the 


Washington  to  Irvine.  JJ~> 


XVI. —  "Washington  to  Irvine. 

Headquarters,  ISTewburgu,  July  10,  1782. 
Sir:  —  1  have  been  favored  with  your  letter  of  the  16th  of 
June,  apprising  me  of  the  disaster  that  befell  the  militia 
at  Sandusky.  I  am  persuaded  you  did  everything  in  your 
power  to  insure  them  success.  I  cannot  but  regret  the  mis- 
fortune, and  more  especially  for  the  loss  of  Colonel  Crawford, 
for  whom  I  had  a  very  great  regard.1 

route  of  Tuscarawas;  a  party  of  militia,  the  Shawanese  country;  and  Colo- 
nel Clark,  the  Wabash,  with  artillery.  That  this  expedition,  though  given 
out  as  intended  against  the  Indian  villages,  he  is  informed  is,  in  reality,  a 
concerted  plan  against  Detroit,  which  Mr.  Irvine  brought  with  him  from  con- 
gress. In  consequence  of  this  intelligence,  I  have  re-enforced  the  upper 
country  with  about  two  hundred  men.'" 

1  Washington  and  Crawford  were  intimate  friends.  The  latter  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Delaware  Indians,  upon  the  Sandusky  expedition,  and  suffered, 
as  already  explained,  a  horrible  death  by  torture.  When  Irvine  wrote  his 
letter  to  Washington,  of  the  16th  of  June,  to  which  the  above  was  an  an- 
swer, he  had  not  learned  the  terrible  details ;  all  that  he  knew  was  that  Craw- 
ford was  missing;  and  this  he  learned  from  the  two  letters  which  he  inclosed. 
By  referring  to  his  letter  of  the  10th  of  June  (ante,  p.  121),  it  will  be  seen, 
that  he  does  not  mention  the  subject  himself. 

The  following  certificate  written  by  Irvine  while  major  general  of  Pennsyl- 
vania militia  is  not  only  confirmatory  of  the  fact  of  his  having  aided  and 
abetted  the  expedition  against  Sandusky,  but  of  the  good  conduct  of 
Major  Rose  and  Colonel  Crawford;  also,  of  the  "particular  esteem  and  high 
regard  "  in  which  the  last  mentioned  was  held  by  Washington: 

"  I  certify  that  Colonel  William  Crawford,  of  the  Virginia  line  of  continen- 
tal troops,  was  elected  by  a  body  of  volunteers,  partly  of  Virginia  and  partly 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1782,  during  the  time  I  commanded  at  Fort  Pitt 
and  country,  around,  to  the  supreme  command  of  said  volunteers  who  meant 
to  march  into  the  Indian  country,  to  attack  several  of  their  towns  (of  this 
election  1  was  informed  by  the  county  lieutenants,  both  of  Virginia  and  Penn- 
sylvania, west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  not  only  by  verbal  communication 
of  some  of  them,  but  by  written  report  of  all  of  them),  in  which  they  requested 
my  approbation  and  aid.  I  accordingly  furnished  the  party  with  some 
ammunition  and  sent  written  instructions  to  the  commandant  (ante,  p.  118, 
note  1);  and  I  also  sent  two  continental  officers  to  assist  Col.  Craw- 
ford: Major  Rose,  my  own  aid-de-camp,  and  Doctor  Knight,  surgeon  of  one 
of  the  regiments  under  my  command.  (Ante,  p.  117.)  After  the  de- 
feat, the  second  in  command  [Col.  David  Williamson]  then  informed  me  that 
it  was  owing,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the  bravery  and  good  conduct  of  Major 


1*26  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

XVII. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  11,  1782. 

Sir:  —  Dr.  Knight,  a  surgeon  I  sent  with  Colonel  Craw- 
ford, returned  the  4th  instant  to  this  place.1  He  brings  an 
account  of  the  melancholy  fate  of  poor  Crawford.  The  day 
after  the  main  body  retreated,  the  colonel,  doctor,  and  nine 
others,  were  overtaken,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  field  of 
action,  by  a  body  of  Indians,  to  whom  they  surrendered.  They 
were  taken  back  to  Sandusky,  where  they  all,  except  the  doc- 
tor, were  put  to  death.  The  unfortunate  colonel,  in  particular, 
was  burned  and  tortured  in  every  manner  they  conld   invent. 

The  doctor,  after  being  a  spectator  of  this  distressing  scene 
was  sent,  under  guard  of  one  Indian,  to  the  Shawanese  town, 
where  he  was  told  he  would  share  the  same  fate  the  next  day; 
but  fortunately  found  an  opportunity  of  demolishing  the 
fellow,  and  making  his  escape.2  The  doctor  adds,  that  a  cer- 
tain Simon  Girty,  who  was  formerly  in  our  service,  and 
deserted  with  McKee,  and  is  now  said  to  have  a  commission  in 
the  British  service,  was  present  at  torturing  Colonel  Craw- 
Rose  that  the  retreat  was  so  well  effected.  I  mention  these  circumstances  in 
order  to  refute  a  report  that  the  colonel  undertook  this  expedition  without  my 
consent,  and  in  other  respects  disobeyed  my  orders. 

"  I  also  certify  that  no  officer  of  the  party  ever  reported  to  me  any  miscon- 
duct ot  the  colonel's,  and  that  I  never  reported  any  to  my  superiors  against 
him;  so  far  from  it,  that  I  find  in  my  correspondence  with  the  commander-in- 
chief  (General  Washington)  that  he  lamented  the  misfortune  of  Col.  Craw- 
ford's death  extremely,  as  he  was  an  officer  for  whom  he  had  a  particular 
esteem  and  high  regard.  William  Irvine,  Major  General." 

1  "  I  saw  Knight  on  his  being  brought  into  the  garrison  at  Pittsburgh;  he 
was  weak  and  scarcely  able  to  articulate.  When  he  began  to  be  able  to  speak 
a  little,  his  Scottish  dialect  was  much  broader  than  it  had  been  when  I  knew 
him  before.  This  I  remarked  as  usual  with  persons  in  a  fever,  or  sick;  they 
return  to  the  vernacular  tongue  of  their  early  years.  It  was  three  weeks  be- 
fore he  was  able  to  give  anything  like  a  continued  account  of  his  sufferings. — 
II.  EL  Brackenridge,  in  Loudon's  Indian  Wars,  Vol.  I,  pp.  VIII,  IX. 

2  Owing  to  the  peculiar  wording  of  this  sentence,  it  might  be  inferred  that 
Knight  escaped  after  his  arrival  at  the  Shawanese  villages ;  but  such  was  not 
the  fact.  He  was  told  at  the  place  where  Crawford  was  burned  that  he  would 
suffer  the  same  fate;  and  he  made  his  escape  on  his  way  to  the  towns  where 
he  was  to  be  tortured. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  1 :; 

ford,1  and  that  lie,  the  doctor,  was  informed  by  an  Indian,  that 
a  British  captain  commands  at  Sandusky;  that  he  believes  he 
was  present,  also,  but  is  not  certain;  but  says  he  saw  a  person 
there  who  was  dressed  and  who  appeared  like  a  British  offi- 
cer.2 He  also  says  the  colonel  begged  of  Girty  to  shoot  him 
[Crawford],  but  he  paid  no  regard  to  the  request. 

A  certain  [John]  Slover  has  also  come  in  yesterday,  who  was 
under  sentence  at  the  Shawanese  town.  He  says  a  Mr.  Will- 
iam Harrison,  son-in-law  to  Colonel  Crawford,  was  quartered 
and  burned.  Both  he  and  the  doctor  say  they  were  assured, 
by  sundry  Indians  they  formerly  knew,  that  not  a  single  soul 
should  in  future  escape  torture;  and  gave,  as  a  reason  for  this 
conduct,  the  Moravian  affair.  A  number  of  people  inform  me, 
that  Colonel  Crawford  ought  to  be  considered  as  a  continental 
officer,  and  are  of  opinion  retaliation  should  take  place.  These, 
however,  are  such  facts  as  I  have  been  able  to  get.  Dr.  Knight 
is  a  man  of  undoubted  veracity.3 

1  Simon  Girty  was  born  on  an  island  in  the  Susquehanna  river  in  the  then 
province  of  Pennsylvania,  and  when  a  boy  was  captured  by  the  savages,  and 
adopted  by  the  Seneca  tribe  of  Indians.  He  afterward  returned  to  the  settle- 
ments, locating  at  Pittsburgh.  He  fled  to  the  enemy  across  the  Ohio,  along 
with  Alexander  MeKee  and  others,  in  the  spring  of  1778.  (See  Introduction, 
p.  17.)  Arriving  at  Detroit,  he  was  engaged  in  the  Indian  department  and 
sent  back  into  the  Ohio  wilderness  with  his  headquarters  among  the  Wyan- 
dots,  upon  the  Sandusky  river.  He  immediately  entered  upon  a  career  of 
savage  ferocity  against  the  border  settlements  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and 
Kentucky.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  the  4th  of  June,  1782,  between  the  vol- 
unteers under  Crawford  and  the  enemy,  taking  part  with  the  latter,  and  was 
present,  as  above  stated,  at  the  torturing  of  the  unfortunate  colonel.  He  had 
no  commission  in  the  British  service.     He  and  Crawford  were  well  acquainted. 

2  The  person  dressed  like  a  British  officer  and  referred  to  as  having  been  seen 
by  Knight  at  the  torture,  was  Captain  Matthew  Elliott,  a  renegade  royalist, 
who,  as  previously  mentioned,  escaped  to  the  enemy  along  with  Alex.  McKee 
and  Simon  Girty,  from  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh,  in  1778.  Knight  had  not 
made  his  acquaintance  at  the  latter  place.  Elliott,  however,  did  not  have 
command  at  Sandusky;  it  was  Captain  William  Caldwell.  The  latter  was  not 
present  at  the  burning  of  Colonel  Crawford.  Elliott  belonged  to  the  British 
Indian  department.  (See  Appendix  M, —  Rose  to  Irvine,  June  13,  1782, 
note.) 

3  John  Slover  was,  as  already  noticed,  one  of  the  guides  to  the  expedition 
against  Sandusky.  He  was  captured  by  the  savages,  but  succeded  in  making 
his  escape.     His  narrative  was  soon   published,   along  with   that  of    Dr. 


128  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

This  account  has  struck  the  people  of  this  country  with  a 
strange  mixture  of  fear  and  resentment.  Their  solicitations 
for  making  another  excursion  are  increasing  daily,  and  they 
are  actually  beginning  to  prepare  for  it. 

Knight's.  Both  are  to  be  found  in  a  pamphlet  entitled,  *'  Narrative  of  a 
late  Expedition  against  the  Indians;  with  an  Account  of  the  Barbarous  Execu- 
tion of  Col.  Crawford ;  and  the  Wonderful  Escape  of  Dr.  Knight  and  John 
Slover,  from  Captivity,  in  1782.  Philadelphia:  Printed  by  Francis  Bailey,  in 
Market  street.  M,DCC,LXXIII."  An  X,  in  the  date,  is  accidentally  omitted. 
Copies  of  the  original  edition  of  this  work  are  exceedingly  ra/e.  Subsequent 
but  imperfect  editions  have  been  published  from  time  to  time.  A  small  one 
was  printed  in  Nashville,  in  1843,  and  there  is  a  Cincinnati  reprint  of  this,  in 
1867.  The  narratives  have  also  been  printed,  with  more  or  less  variations 
from  the  original,  in  several  border  histories. 

In  the  original  pamphlet  is  the  following  address  by  the  publisher  —  Fran- 
cis Bailey,  printer  of  the  Freeman's  Journal,  in  Philadelphia: 

"To  the  Public:  The  two  following  narratives  [Knight's  and  Slover's] 
were  transmitted  for  publication,  in  September  last  [1782];  but  shortly  after- 
ward the  letters  from  Sir  Guy  Carlton,  to  his  excellency,  General  Washington, 
informing  that  the  savages  had  received  orders  to  desist  from  their  incursions, 
gave  reason  to  hop?  that  there  would  be  an  end  to  their  barbarities.  For  this 
reason,  it  was  not  thought  necessary  to  hold  up  to  view  what  they  had  here- 
tofore done.  But  as  they  still  continue  their  murders  on  our  frontier,  these 
narratives  may  be  serviceable  to  induce  our  government  to  take  some  effectual 
steps  to  chastise  and  suppress  them;  as  from  hence,  they  will  see  that  the 
nature  of  an  Indian  is  fierce  and  cruel,  and  that  an  extirparation  of  them  would 
be  useful  to  the  world,  and  honorable  to  those  who  can  effect  it." 

Immediately  following  the  address  is  this  letter: 

"Mb.  Bailey:  Enclosed  are  two  narratives,  one  of  Dr.  Knight,  who 
acted  as  surgeon  in  the  expedition  under  Col.  Crawford,  the  other  of  John 
Slover.  That  of  Dr.  Knight  was  written  by  himself  at  my  request ;  that  of 
Slover  was  taken  by  myself  from  his  mouth  as  he  related  it.  This  man,  from 
his  childhood,  lived  amongst  the  Indians;  though  perfectly  sensible  and  intel- 
ligent, yet  he  can  not  write.  The  character  of  Dr.  Knight  is  well  known  to 
be  that  of  a  good  man,  of  strict  veracity,  of  a  calm  and  deliberate  mind,  and 
using  no  exaggeration  in  his  account  of  any  matter.  As  a  testimony  in  favor 
of  the  veracity  of  Slover,  I  thought  proper  to  procure  a  certificate  from  the 
clergyman  to  whose  church  he  belongs,  and  which  I  give  below. 

irratives  you  will  please  publish  in  your  useful  paper  or  in  any 
other  way  you  may  judge  proper.  I  conceive  the  publication  of  them  may 
answer  a  good  end,  in  showing  America  what  have  been  the  sufferings  of 
some  of  her  citizens  by  the  hands  of  the  Indian  allies  of  Britain.  To  these 
narratives,  I  have  subjoined  some  observations  which  you  may  publish  or  omit, 

as  it  may  be  convenient. 

"  II.  II.  Bkackenkidge. 
ii  Pixxsbukcii,  Aug.  3,  1782. 


Washington  to  Irvine.  120 


XYIII. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Head  Quarters,  August  6,  1782. 
Sir:—  I  have  to  acknowledge   the  receipt  of  your  two  let- 
ters of  the  1st  and  11th  of  July;  the  former  containing  the 
plan  of  a  proposed  expedition,  on  which  you  mention  you  are 

"(Certificate  of  the  Clergyman.) 

"  '  I  do  hereby  certify  that  John  Slover  has  been  for  many  years  a  regular 
member  of  the  church  under  my  care,  and  is  worthy  of  the  highest  credit. 

"  '  William  Reno.' 
"(An  Episcopalian.)" 

Brackenridge,  to  whom  the  world  is  indebted  for  the  narratives  of  Knight 
and  Slover,  was  an  eminent  lawyer  and  author  of  Pittsburgh,  from  1781  un- 
til his  death  in  1816.  The  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life,  he  was  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  noted  for  his  talents, 
learning,  and  eccentricity.  He  was  the  author  of  "Modern  Chivalry,"  "  In- 
cidents of  the  Whisky  Insurrection,"  and  other  works.  The  "obser- 
vations "  he  speaks  of,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Bailey,  were  printed  by  the  latter, 
with  the  narratives  of  Knight  and  Slover.  They  are,  as  the  writer  quaintly 
calls  them,  "  observations  with  regard  to  the  animals,  vulgarly  styled  Indi- 
ans." They  contain,  however,  nothing  in  relation  to  the  expedition  against 
Sandusky. 

The  narrative  of  Knight,  up  to  the  commencement  of  the  retreat  of  the 
army,  contains  little  that  is  not  suppliable  from  other  sources;  after  that 
event,  however,  his  account  of  what  he  saw  and  suffered,  is  exceedingly  val- 
uable and  complete.  He  throws  no  light,  of  course,  upon  the  retreat  of  the 
army;  neither  does  Slover.  The  narrative  of  the  latter  is  not  as  well  con- 
nected as  that  of  the  former ;  yet,  of  the  general  truthfulness  of  his  story, 
there  can  be  no  question.  Both  narratives,  it  will  be  noticed,  were  written 
immediately  after  the  return  of  these  men  from  captivity.  There  was  no 
printing  done  in  Pittsburgh  until  the  establishment  and  issuing  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Gazette,  in  July,  1786;  hence,  the  publication  of  the  pamphlet  in 
Philadelphia. 

All  the  statements  have  been  examined  that  could  be  found,  made  by  Knight 
and  Slover  after  their  return,  not  contained  in  their  printed  narratives.  Most 
of  these  are  either  in  manuscript  or  in  the  Philadelphia  newspapers  of  1782, 
furnished  by  western  correspondents.  From  these  sources  a  few  additional 
facts  can  be  obtained,  all  corroborative,  however,  of  their  original  statements. 
Subsequent  relations  of  deserters  and  of  the  savages  themsleves  fully  sub- 
stantiate their  authenticity  and  correctness.  "After  a  treaty  or  temporary 
peace  had  taken  place,  I  saw  traders  who  had  been  with  the  Indians  at  San- 
dusky and  had  the  same  account  from  the  Indians  themselves  which  Knight 
gave  of  his  escape." — Brackenridge,  in  Loudon's  Indian  Wars,  Vol.  I, 
pp.  VIII,  IX. 
9 


130  Washington-2 rvine  C Correspondence. 

solicited  to  take  the  command,  and  covering  a  copy  of  your 
letter  to  the  secretary  at  war1  on  that  proposition.  I  have  not 
given  you  my  ideas  on  this  expedition,  as  the  plan,  if  adopted, 
must  have  began  its  execution  before  my  letter  would  have 
reached  you.  If  attempted,  I  can  only  give  you  my  good 
wishes  for  its  success.2 

'See  Irvine  to  Lincoln,  July  1,  1782,  Appendix  B. 

-  Irvine,  in  anticipation  of  being  absent  from  Fort  Pitt  upon  tbis  expedi- 
tion, wrote  out  the  following  instructions : 

I.— Irvine  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wuibert. 

"  Fort  Pitt,  September  13,  1782. 

"Sir:  —  During  the  time  of  the  excursion  I  am  about  to  make  with  part  of 
the  troops  comprising  this  garrison  and  some  militia,  you  will  please  care- 
fully to  examine  what  further  repairs  may  be  indispensably  necessary  to  make 
on  this  post;  in  doing  of  which,  you  will  calculate  with  as  much  accuracy  as  pos- 
sible, the  quality  and  quantity  of  materials  and  number  of  artificers  and  labor- 
ers required  to  complete  the  work.  When  this  is  done,  you  will  please  to 
reconnoiter  the  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  the  post  and  determine  (in  your  judg- 
ment) the  places  an  enemy  will  be  most  likely  to  approach  by.  But,  in  a 
particular  manner,  I  wish  you  also  to  reconnoiter  an  eminence  on  the  north- 
west side  of  the  Alleghany,  immediately  opposite  the  fort,  and  fix  on  the 
most  advantageous  spot  for  erecting  either  an  inclosed  redoubt  or  block  house. 
Of  all  which,  I  beg  you  will  have  plans  made,  and  estimates  also  of  labor,  at 
my  return.  As  to  having  any  actual  work  performed,  I  do  not  expect  it;  the 
troops  will  be  so  few,  they  cannot  perform  any  and  do  the  necessary  military 
duty.  Major  Craig  will  command  all  the  troops;  and  I  make  no  doubt  from 
the  good  understanding  I  know  you  to  be  on  with  this  gentleman,  but  your 
time  will  pass  agreeably. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"  Wm.  Irvine. 
II. —  Irvine  to  Major  Isaac  Craig. 

"  Fort  Pitt,  September,  178?. 

"Sir:  —  In  my  absence  (on  the  intended  excursion)  the  command  of  this 
po?t  will  devolve  on  you.  Your  knowledge  of  every  circumstance  relative 
to  the  defence  of  it,  and  the  resources  you  have  to  depend  on,  together  with 
the  entire  confidence  I  repose  in  your  prudence,  render  it  unnecessary  to 
trouble  you  with  prolix  instructions. 

"  The  advanced  season  and  the  precautions  I  have  recently  taken  (by  send- 
ing parties  up  the  Alleghany)  nearly  convince  me  that  you  will  have  little  to 
fear  from  that  quarter;  notwithstanding,  you  must  not  depend  on  probabilities, 
but  guard  against  possibilities.  To  the  westward,  we  shall  doubtless  draw  all 
the  enemy's  attention. 

"  You  are  already  informed  how  I  intend  the  militia  from  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania  are  to  be  employed,  unless  this  post  should  appear  in  danger;  in 


Washington  to  Irvine.  131 

I  lament  the  failure  of  the  former  expedition,  and  am  par- 
ticularly affected  .with  the  disastrous  fate  of  Colonel  Craw- 
ford.1    No  other  than  the  extremest  tortures  that  could   be 

that  case,  you  will  doubtless  draw  in  as  many  of  them  as  you  may  judge  nec- 
essary. It  matters  remain  quiet  as  late  as  the  loth  of  October,  the  militia 
from  the  lower  country  may  be  discharged ;  as  their  services  after  that  time, 
I  think,  will  be  an  unnecessary  fatigue  on  them,  and  expense  to  the  public. 

"In  case,  however,  of  an  actual  investiture  of  the  post,  or  that  circum- 
stances threaten,  you  will  apply  to  the  lieutenants  of  Westmoreland  and 
Washington  counties,  whom  I  will  direct  before  my  departure  to  order  men  to 
your  relief  on  your  requisition.  I  am  persuaded  you  have  not,  under  these  several 
circumstances,  much  to  fear,  except  a  surprise;  and  if  the  enemy  have  infor- 
mation of  our  movements,  an  enterprising  partisan  may  possibly  think  it  a 
favorable  opportunity,  as  he  may  suppose  you  will  be  off  your  guard,  depend- 
ing too  much  on  the  effects  of  our  expedition. 

"  You  are  well  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  magazine  and  all  the  stores, 
as  well  as  the  difficulty  and  expense  attending  supplying  the  post;  and  you 
are  also  too  well  acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  public  finances  to  make  it 
necessary  for  me  to  say  much  on  the  score  of  economy;  you  know  it  ought  to 
be  extreme.  As  to  the  ordinary  police  or  standing  orders  at  the  post,  you 
will  doubtless  adhere  to  them,  except  in  cases  where  circumstances  may  ren- 
der it  indispensably  necessary  to  vary  or  deviate  from. 

"  Private. —  I  am  afraid  there  are  such  men  in  this  country  who  are  not  too 
good  (in  order  to  favor  a  scheme  of  a  new  state)  to  devise  plans  to  get  posses- 
sion of  this  post  and  particularly  the  stores.  You  will,  therefore,  scrupulously 
guard  against  their  devices  —  some  of  which  may  probably  be  false  alarms 
to  induce  you  to  call  in  militia,  or  rather  volunteers,  whom  you  may  have  dif- 
ficulty to  get  out. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  with  much  regard,  your  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"Wm.  Irvine." 

1  In  a  letter  addressed  by  Washington  to  President  William  Moore,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, dated  July  27,  1782,  is  this  reference  to  Crawford:  "  It  is  with  the 
greatest  sorrow  and  concern  that  I  have  learned  the  melancholy  tidings  of 
Col.  Crawford's  death.  He  was  known  to  me  as  an  officer  of  much  care  and 
prudence,  brave,  experienced  and  active.  The  manner  of  his  death  as  given 
in  letters  of  Gen.  Irvine,  Col.  Gibson,  and  others,  was  shocking  to  me;  and  I 
have  this  day  communicated  to  the  honorable,  the  congress,  copies  of  such 
papers  as  I  have  regarding  it." 

Col.  Crawford,  before  starting  upon  the  Sandusky  expedition,  made  his 
will,  as  follows: 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  amen.  I,  William  Crawford,  of  the  county  of 
Westmoreland,  and  state  of  Pennsylvania,  being  in  perfect  health  of  body 
and  sound  memory,  do  make,  ordain  and  constitute  this  my  last  will  and  tes- 
tament, in  manner  and  form  following,  that  is  to  say:  I  give  and  bequeath 
unto  my  much  beloved  wife,  Hannah  Crawford,  all  that  tract  of  land  whereon 


138  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

inflicted  by  savages,  I  think,  could  have  been  expected  by  those 
who  were  unhappy  enough  to  fall  into  their  hands;  especially 
under  the  present  exasperation  of  their  minds,  for  the  treat- 
ment given  their  Moravian  friends.  For  this  reason,  no  per- 
sons, I  think,  should,  at  this  time,  submit  themselves  to  fall 
alive  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 

I  now  live,  situate,  lying  and  being  on  the  river  Youghiogheny,  in  the  county 
and  state  aforesaid,  during  her  natural  life.  I  do  also  give  and  bequeath  unto 
my  said  wife  one  negro  man  named  Dick,  and  one  mulatto  man  Daniel:  also 
all  my  household  furniture  and  stock  of  every  kind  and  nature  whatsoever, 
for  and  during  her  natural  life,  and  after  the  decease  of  my  said  wife,  the 
above  mentioned  negroes,  Dick  and  Daniel,  to  descend  to  my  loving  son,  John 
Crawford,  and  after  his  decease,  to  the  heirs  of  his  body  lawfully  begotten. 

"  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  loving  son,  John  Crawford,  and  his  heirs 
lawfully  begotten,  five  hundred  acres  of  land  to  be  laid  off  out  of  lands  located 
down  the  river  Ohio  by  me,  to  be  laid  off  by  my  executors,  reserving  to  my 
son  the  choice  of  said  lands,  and  also  the  tract  of  land  whereon  I  now  live  at 
Stewart's  Crossings,  at  the  decease  of  my  said  wife,  Hannah,  and  at  the  decease 
of  said  son,  John  Crawford,  to  descend  to  his  son,  William  Crawford,  and  his 
heirs  forever;  but  if  he  die  without  heirs,  then  and  in  that  case  to  descend  to 
his  next  oldest  brother.  And  1  do  give  and  bequeath  unto  Moses  Crawford, 
son  of  the  above  said  John  Crawford,  and  to  his  heirs  forever,  four  hundred 
acres  of  land,  to  be  laid  off  out  of  my  lands  located  down  the  river  Ohio  as  be- 
fore mentioned. 

"t  do  give  and  bequeath  unto  Richard  Crawford,  son  of  the  above  said 
John  Crawford,  and  to  his  heirs  forever,  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  out  of, 
and  to  be  laid  off  as  above  mentioned.  I  do  give  and  bequeath  unto  Anne 
McCormick,  daughter  of  William  and  Effe  McCormick,  four  hundred  acres  of 
land,  to  be  laid  off  as  above  mentioned.  Also  I  do  give  and  bequeath  unto 
Anne  Council,  all  that  tract  of  land  whereon  she  now  lives,  lying  and  being 
on  the  north  side  of  Youghiogheny  river,  about  two  miles  from  said  river  and 
on  Braddock's  old  road,  together  with  all  the  stock  of  every  kind  whatsoever, 
and  all  the  household  furniture  and  farming  utensils  now  in  her  possession, 
for  and  during  her  natural  life;  and  after  the  said  Anne  Connell's  decease,  my 
will  is  and  I  do  hereby  ordain  that  the  said  land,  goods  and  chattels  of  every 
kind  whatsoever  be  sold  by  my  executors  and  the  money  arising  therefrom  be 
equally  divided  amongst  her  four  children,  to-wit:  William,  James,  Nancy 
and  Polly ;  but  nevertheless,  in  case  the  said  Anne  Conncll  should  think  it  more 
proper  that  the  two  boys,  or  either  of  them,  the  said  William  or  James, 
should  keep  the  said  land,  etc.,  that  then  and  in  that  ease  the  said  lands,  goods 
and  chattels  of  every  kind  be  appraised,  and  one  equal  fourth  of  the  said  ap- 
praisements be  paid  to  the  other  children  as  they  may  arrive  at  the  age  by 
law  affixed,  or  the  survivor  of  them. 

"  Also,  I  do  give  and  bequeath  unto  William  Connell,  son  of  the  said  Anne 


Irvine  to  Washington.  133 


XIX. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Fort  Pitt,  October  29,  1782. 
Sir: — I  would  have  marched  the  20th  of  September  into 
the  Indian  country  with  about  eight  hundred  militia  and  a 
small  detachment  from  this  post,  had  I  not  received  letters  on 
the  eighteenth  [inst]  from  the  secretary  at  war  *  and  council 
of  Pennsylvania:2  —  the  first  informing  me  that  General  Ha- 
zen's  regiment3  was  ordered  up,  and  the  latter  promising  men 
and  money  to  carry  the  business  with  effect.     As  the  militia 

Connell,  and  his  heirs  forever,  five  hundred  acres  of  land  located  by  me  down 
the  Ohio  river,  there  being  a  warrant  for  that  quantity  in  his  name  from  the 
land  office,  Virginia.  I  also  give  and  bequeath  unto  James  Connell,  son  of 
the  said  Anne  Connell,  and  his  heirs  forever,  five  hundred  acres  of  land  down 
the  river  Ohio,  there  being  a  warrant  for  that  quantity  in  his  name,  which  was 
also  located  by  me  as  above  mentioned,  as  soon  as  they  arrive  at  full  age. 
Also,  I  do  give  and  bequeath  unto  Nancy  and  Polly,  daughters  of  said  Anne 
Connell,  six  hundred  acres  of  land  located  by  me  down  the  river  Ohio,  to  be 
equally  divided  between  them  by  my  executors. 

"And  my  will  is  that  after  my  accounts  are  adjusted  and  settled  and  all 
my  just  debts  and  legacies  and  bequeaths  paid,  that  all  and  singular  my  estate, 
real  and  personal,  of  every  kind  whatsoever  (except  a  mulatto  boy  named  Mar- 
tin, which  I  give  to  my  son  John  Crawford,  and  a  mulatto  girl  named  Betty, 
which  is  to  continue  with  my  wife  Hannah),  be  equally  divided  between  my 
three  beloved  children,  viz.:  John  Crawford,  Effe  McCornr.ck  and  Sarah 
Harrison,  and  their  heirs  forever.  And  I  do  will,  constitute,  and  appoint  my 
much  beloved  wife,  Hannah  Crawford,  my  loving  brother,  John  Stephenson, 
and  William  Harrison,  executrix  and  executors  of  this  my  last  will  and  tes- 
tament, ratifying  and  confirming  this  to  be  my  last  will  and  testament. 

"  In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affix  my  seal  this 

sixteenth  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred 

and  eighty-two. 

"W.  Crawford.        [seal.] 

"  Signed,  sealed,  published,  pronounced  and  declared  by  the  said  William 
Crawford  as  his  last  will  and  testament  in  presence  of  us:  Thomas  Gist, 
John  Euler,  Mary  Wright,  Nancy  McKee." 

1  Lincoln  to  Irvine,  September  7,  178'2,  Appendix  B. 

2 The  letter  here  spoken  of  as  from  the  "council  of  Pennsylvania,"  was 
written  by  Gov.  Moore,  of  that  state,  September  4,  1782.     See  Appendix  G. 

3  The  continental  regiment  of  Brigadier-General  Moses  Hazen,  which  had 
previously  been  guarding  prisoners  in  Pennsylvania.  Por  a  history  of  this 
regiment,  see  Hist.  Mag.,  Feb.,  1872,  p.  92;  also,  Penn.  Arch.,  second  series, 
vol.  XI,  p.  99. 


lSlf.  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

had  orders  to  march  previous  to  this,  I  countermanded  them 
and  began  to  prepare  for  acting  on  a  larger  scale, —  directing 
the  militia  to  assemble  again  at  the  time  proposed  to  me  for 
moving  from  this  place,  namely:  the  Sth  of  October.  From 
that  date  till  the  23d,  I  was  in  a  state  of  the  greatest  suspense 
and  uncertainty,  as  the  troops  did  not  arrive  nor  was  there  any 
reason  assigned  why  they  did  not. 

The  letters,  it  seems,  for  directing  the  expedition  to  be  laid 
aside  *  were  trusted  to  some  persons  traveling  on  their  private 
business;  and  I  should  not  have  got  them  to  this  day,  had  I 
not  sent  officers  on  the  different  roads  to  gain  intelligence  of 
the  march  and  hasten  Hazen's  regiment.2  One  of  these  picked 
up  the  letters.  So  much  having  been  said  and  so  many  at- 
tempts made,  I  confess  I  should  have  been  pleased  to  put  the 
matter  to  trial;  as  I  believe  we  should  have  been  able  to  chas- 
tise the  savages  severely;  no  number  of  Indians  whatever,  in 
my  opinion,  can  fight  a  thousand  men  under  proper  discipline 
or  regulation.  However,  I  presume  it  must  be  best  laid  aside, 
doubtless  for  good  reasons.  Indeed,  I  never  could  see  any 
great  advantages  gained  by  excursions  of  this  kind;  at  least, 
they  have  not  been  lasting:  nothing  short  of  destroying  the 
British  posts  from  which  they  receive  the  means  to  carry  on 

1  See  Lincoln  to  Irvine,  September  27,  1782,  Appendix  B,  for  one  of  these. 

2  With  one  of  the  officers  he  sent  the  following: 

"  Fokt  Pitt,  September  30,  1782. 

"  Sir: —  I  am  instructed  by  the  secretary  at  war  that  part  of  General  Hazen's 
regiment  is  ordered  to  this  post.  The  time  being  now  nearly  elapsed  within 
which  he  intended  they  should  arrive,  I  begin  to  be  anxious  to  know  how  far 
you  are  advanced;  and  as  it  is  also  necessary  I  should  know  what  provision, 
if  any,  horses  and  stores  of  every  kind  you  have  under  your  convoy,  I  have 
sent  Captain  [Samuel  1  Brady  to  meet  you  and  make  these  and  other  inquiries, 
to  whom  you  are  to  communicate  all  matters  respecting  your  corps  or  convoy 
necessary  for  the  commanding  officer  here  to  know. 

"  He  has  my  orders  to  return  immediately  on  meeting  you.  As  much,  very 
much,  will  depend  on  your  speed,  I  make  no  doubt  you  will  make  forced 
marches.  He  will  also  inform  you  of  the  necessity  hereof,  and  can  give  you 
the  best  information  of  the  route  you  should  come,  being  well  acquainted 
with  the  country.     I  am,  sir,  your  obedient,  humble  Bervant, 

"W.m.  Ikyine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"  To  the  officer  commanding  a  detachment  of  General  Hazen's  regiment, 
on  the  march  to  Fort  Pitt." 


Irvine  to  Washington.  135 

war,  or  establishing  posts  in  their  country,  will  effectually 
answer  the  end.  I  am  very  anxious  about  General  Clark.  If 
my  last  messenger  to  him  arrived  safe,  he  will  have  reason  to 
think  I  am  now  in  the  Indian  country;  and  it  was  not  possi- 
ble for  me  to  inform  him  of  my  countermand  in  time.  I 
have,  however,  used  every  precaution  and  strategem  in  my 
power  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  Delawares  and  Wyandots 
this  way,  to  prevent  their  aiding  the  Shawanese,  whom  he  de- 
termined to  attack  at  the  same  time  I  did  the  others.  I  have 
some  hope  he  will  have  the  former  alone  to  deal  with,  if  he 
should  proceed.1  I  fear  the  Indians  will  not  be  restrained  by 
the  British.  They  have  killed  so  late  as  the  Gth  inst.  in  this 
neighborhood,  but  this  may  have  been  done  by  some  small 
party,  who  were  out  before  orders  reached  them.2 

'The  Delawares  and  Wyandots  were,  at  this  date,  principally  upon  the 
Sandusky  river  directly  on  the  line  between  Fort  Pitt  and  Detroit,  and  their 
territory  would  have  been  the  objective  point  of  Irvine  had  he  proceeded  with 
the  expedition  as  had  been  contemplated.  South  of  these,  principally  upon 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Great  Miami,  and  at  no  very  great  distance,  were 
seated  the  Shawanese.  The  plan  was  well  laid  between  the  two  American 
commanders  to  strike  all  three  of  these  tribes  at  the  same  time:  Irvine,  from 
the  east,  would  engage  the  Wyandots  and  Delawares;  Clark,  from  the  south 
(Kentucky),  would  attack  the  Shawanese.  The  last  part  of  the  programme 
was  carried  out. 

2 "  As  to  the  savages,  I  have  the  best  of  assurance  that  from  a  certain  period 
not  very  long  after  my  arrival  here,  no  parties  of  Indians  were  sent  out,  and 
that  messengers  were  dispatched  to  recall  those  who  had  gone  forth  before 
that  time."  —  Sir  Guy  Carleton  to  Washington,  from  New  York,  September 
12,  1782. 

"Detroit,  29  Sept.,  1782. 

".  .  .  .1  have  a  very  difficult  card  to  play  at  this  post  and  its  depend- 
encies. .  .  .  It  is  evident  that  the  back  settlers  will  continue  to  make 
war  upon  the  Shawanese,  Delawares  and  Wyandots,  even  after  a  truce  shall 
be  agreed  to  between  Great  Britain  and  her  revolted  colonies;  in  which  case, 
whilst  we  continue  to  support  the  Indians  with  troops  (which  they  are  calling 
loud  for)  or  only  with  arms,  ammunition  and  necessaries,  we  shall  incur  the 
odium  of  encouraging  incursions  into  the  back  settlements;  for  it  is  evident 
that  when  the  Indians  are  on  foot,  occasioned  by  the  constant  alarms  they 
receive  from  the  enemy's  entering  their  country,  they  will  occasionally  enter 
the  settlements  and  bring  off  prisoners  and  scalps;  so  that  whilst  in  alliance 
with  a  people  we  are  bound  to  support,  a  defensive  war  will,  in  spite  of  human 
prudence,  almost  always  terminate  in  an  offensive  one." — Col.  A.  S.  De 
Peyster  to  Gen.  Haldimand. 


136  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

If  a  peace  with  the  British  should  not  take  place,  I  am 
almost  certain  there  will  be  no  rest  here  while  they  possess 
Canada;  and  I  think  they  will  attempt  gaining  possession  as 
far  as  the  Ohio,  agreeable  to  their  Quebec  bill,1  if  we  cannot 
wrest  the  lower  part  of  Canada  from  them.  It  is  probable 
they  will  send  troops  up  the  lake2  next  spring  in  order  to  do 
this.  If  they  do,  they  will  meet  little  obstruction  as  far  as 
the  Alleghany,3  unless  measures  are  adopted  to  counteract 

[Extract  from  the  Penn.  Packet,  1  Oct.,  1782  (No.  944).] 

"  Philadelphia,  October  1,  1782. 
"A  gentleman  is  arrived  in  town  who  left  Fort  Pitt  on  Wednesday,  the  18th 
ult.     He  informs,  that  altho'  the  Indians  have  been  much  more  quiet  lately 
than  some  time  before,  yet  an  attack  from  them  was  expected  at  Fort  Weeling 
[Wheeling],  on  the  Ohio,  some  distance  southeast  of  Fort  Pitt." 

1  The  object  of  the  Quebec  bill,  which  passed  the  parliament  of  Great 
Britain  during  the  crisis  immediately  preceding  active  hostilities  of  the  revo- 
lution, was  to  prevent  Canada  —  that  is,  the  province  of  Quebec  —  from 
joining  with  the  other  colonies.  The  bill  not  only  regulated  the  affairs  of 
that  province,  but  extended  its  boundaries  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers, 
over  the  region  which  included,  besides  Canada,  the  area  of  the  present  states 
of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  in  utter  disregard  of  the 
charters  and  rights  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  York  and  Virginia. 

2  Irvine's  meaning  is,  "  up  Lake  Erie." 

3  Irvine  here  has  reference  to  the  Alleghany  river,  which  stream  unites  with 
the  Monongahela  at  Pittsburgh  to  form  the  Ohio. 

"  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  a  uniform  orthography  of  this  name  should  be 
adopted.  In  New  York,  it  is  commonly  written  Allegany;  in  Pennsylvania, 
Allegheny;  and  in  Virginia  and  the  Southern  States,  Alleghany.  As  nearly 
all  the  works  on  general  geography,  even  those  published  in  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  spell  the  name  Alleghany,  the  citizens  of  those  states  might, 
it  is  believed,  without  any  unmanly  concession,  or  without  the  slightest  aban- 
don ment  of  what  is  due  to  the  dignity  of  sovereign  states,  conform  in  this 
respect  to  the  usage  of  the  majority.  The  impropriety,  not  to  say  absurdity, 
of  this  discrepancy  in  the  spelling,  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  a  representa- 
tion of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  on  the  same  map.  We  shall  there  find 
one  and  the  same  river  named  Allegheny  near  its  source;  while  farther  down, 
for  the  distance  of  some  40  or  50  miles,  it  is  Allegany,  and  then  again  Alle- 
ghany for  the  rest  of  its  course.  If  we  have  occasion  to  speak  of  the  mount- 
ains, we  must,  according  to  this  method,  call  them  Allegany  in  a  description 
of  New  York,  Allegheny  in  an  article  on  Pennsylvania,  and  Alleghany  in 
treating  of  Virginia  or  any  of  the  Southern  or  Western  States." — Lippin- 
cott's  Gazelleer  of  the  World,  art.  ALLEGHANY. 

The  spelling  here  recommended  would  yield  the  a  to  New  York;  the  h  to 
Pennsylvania:  a  fair  compromise,  surely.     It  is  adopted  in  these  pages. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  137 

them.  The  most  effectual  way  (in  my  opinion)  in  this  quarter 
would  be  for  us  to  establish  a  post  on  the  lake  early  in  the 
spring,  build  two  stout  row  galleys,  each  for  one  hundred  men, 
and  to  mount  two  twelve-pounders  with  other  smaller  guns. 
These,  from  the  accounts  I  have,  would  be  quite  equal  to 
destroy  all  their  fleet.  This  business  must  undoubtedly  be 
managed  with  secrecy  and  dispatch  and  arrangements  made 
for  holding  the  post;  otherwise,  it  could  not  answer  any  other 
purpose  than  a  temporary  loss  of  their  vessels;  as  they  could 
soon  rebuild  them  if  we  did  not  hold  the  command.  Almost 
all  the  necessary  irons  and  anchors  for  boat  building  are  here 
ready  made;  but^here  is  no  heavier  artillery  than  six-pounders, 
which  are  too  small  even  for  this  post. 

The  old  causeway,  as  it  is  called,  to  Presq'  Isle  is  so  much 
out  of  repair  it  would  take  immense  labor  and  waste  much 
time  to  make  it  passable;1  besides,  the  navigation  of  the  Alle- 
ghany river  and  French  creek  is  at  best  uncertain;  in  sum- 
mer, none  at  all.  Cuyahoga  river,  or  creek,  by  all  accounts, 
would  be  a  proper  place  for  such  a  post.2  From  the  mouth  of 
Beaver, creek3  and  Fort  Mcintosh  to  the  navigable  part  of  this 
river  is  only  about  seventy  miles,  through  a  tolerable  cham- 
paign country.  However,  I  intend  to  have  it  explored  soon 
by  an  intelligent  officer,  who  for  fear  of  discovery  or  cause  for 
anybody  taking  umbrage,  shall  go  equipped  and  under  the 
idea  of  a  hunting  excursion.4 

1  As  early  as  1759,  the  road  from  Venango  to  Le  Boeuf  was  described  as 
being  "trod  and  good;"  thence  to  Presq'  Isle,  about  half  a  clay's  journey,  as 
"  very  low  and  swampy  and  bridged  almost  all  the  way." 

2  The  Cuyahoga  river  rises  in  the  central  parts  of  Geauga  county,  Ohio, 
whence  it  runs  into  Portage  and  Summit  counties,  gradually  turning  north- 
westwardly into  and  across  Cuyahoga  county,  entering  Lake  Erie  at  Cleveland. 
It  has  a  total  length  of  about  sixty  miles.  The  point  referred  to  by  Irvine 
was  undoubtedly  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

3 The  Mahoning  river  and  Shenango,  uniting  in  what  is  now  Lawrence 
county,  Pennsylvania,  form  the  Beaver  river,  usually  called,  at  an  early  day,  the 
"  Big  Beaver."  Slippery  Rock  and  Conoquenessing  creek  flow  into  it  near  to 
the  dividing  line  between  Beaver  and  Lawrence  counties.  The  river  then  flows 
southward  through  nearly  the  middle  of  Beaver  county,  and  empties  into  the 
Ohio  at  Rochester,  close  to  the  borough  of  Beaver. 

4  Major  Isaac  Craig  of  the  artillery  was  the  il  intelligent  officer  "  Irvine  had 


138  Washincjton-Irmne  Correspondence. 

I  shall  not,  at  present,  trouble  your  excellency  with  any 
further  detail  of  this  matter,  as  it  is  probable  your  general 
arrangements  may  render  such  an  undertaking  unnecessary,  or 
that  circumstances  will  not  allow;  however  this  may  be,  I 
presume  the  suggestion  that  such  a  plan  might  be  effected 
will  not  be  disagreeable  to  you.  The  expense  would  be  con- 
siderable, but  not  more  than  must  be  spent  in  acting  on  the 
defensive  and  making  partial  fruitless  excursions.     It  cannot, 

in  view,  as  will  appear  by  the  following  order;  but  the  general  gave  up  "  the 
idea  of  a  hunting  excursion:" 

"  Fort  Pitt,  Nov.  11,  1782. 

"Sir: — I  have  received  intelligence  through  various  channels  that  the  British 
have  established  a  post  at  Lower  Sandusky  [now  Fremont,  Ohio],  and  also 
information  that  it  is  suspected  they  intend  erecting  one  at  either  Cuyahoga 
creek  or  Grand  river  [now  Fairport,  Ohio].  But  as  these  accounts  are  not 
from  persons  of  military  knowledge,  nor  to  be  fully  relied  upon  in  any  partic- 
ular, and  I  am  anxious  to  have  the  facts  well  established,  you  will  therefore 
proceed  with  Lieutenant  Rose,  my  aid-de-camp,  and  six  active  men,  in  order 
to  reconnoiter  these  two  places,  particularly  Cuyahoga.  As  your  party  is  so 
small,  you  will  use  every  precaution  to  avoid  being  discovered,  which  service 
I  expect  you  will  be  able  to  perform,  as  they  will  probably  be  relaxed  in  disci- 
pline at  this  advanced  season  of  the  year.  When  you  have  reconnoitered 
these  posts  (if  any),  you  may  try  to  take  a  prisoner,  provided  it  can  'be  done 
without  much  risk  of  losing  any  of  your  party;  which  must  be  guarded 
against  at  all  events,  as  it  is  not  your  business  to  come  to  action;  my  reasons 
for  allowing  you  so  small  a  party  being  to  avoid  discovery. 

"  I  know  your  zeal  will  excite  you  to  go  lengths,  perhaps  even  beyond 
your  judgment,  in  order  to  effect  the  purposes  of  your  excursion.  But,  not- 
withstanding my  earnest  desire  to  obtain  accurate  accounts  of  the  matters 
mentioned  herein,  you  will  please  to  keep  in  view  that  I  am  extremely  solici- 
tous that  every  man  may  be  brought  back  safe,  and  that  one  man  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  may  not  only  ruin  your  whole  present  business,  but 
also  prevent  future  discovery. 

"As  it  may  be  necessary  for  you  to  detach  or  separate  from  Mr.  Rose,  it 
will  be  proper  for  you  to  give  him  a  certified  copy  of  this  order. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"  Major  Craig." 

"The  major,  with  his  party,  started  on  their  expedition  on  the  13th  of 
November,  taking  with  them  one  horse  with  a  supply  of  provisions;  they 
crossed  Big  Beaver  river  at  its  mouth,  and  Little  Beaver  some  distance  above 
its  mouth;  thence  they  proceeded  in  a  direction  south  of  west,  as  if  bound  to  the 
Indian  town  at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum,  pursuing  that  course  until  night, 
and  then  turned  directly  north,  and  traveled  all  night  in  that  direction.  This 
was  done  to  mislead  and  elude  the  pursuit  of  Indians  who  may  have  followed 


Irvine  to   Washington.  139 

however,  be  performed  at  all  unless  a  magazine  of  salt  provision 
is  laid  up  here  this  winter,  which  is  very  practicable;  there 
are  great  quantities  of  pork  in  the  country. 

This  fort  [Fort  Pitt]  has  been  much  repaired  in  the  course 
of  the  summer.  A  new  row  of  picketing  is  planted  on  every 
part  of  the  parapet  where  the  brick  revetment  did  not  extend, 
and  a  row  of  palisading  nearly  finished  in  the  ditch;  so  far, 
also,  with  sundry  other  small  improvements;  but,  above  all, 
a  complete  magazine,  the  whole  arched  with  stone.     I  think  I 

them.  When  they  arrived,  as  they  supposed,  within  a  day's  march  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga,  they  left  one  man  with  the  extra  provisions.  It  was 
the  intention,  upon  rejoining  this  man,  to  have  taken  a  fresh  supply  of  provis- 
ions, and  then  proceed  to  examine  the  mouth  of  Grand  river,  one  of  the  points 
which  the  enemy  was  reported  to  have  in  view.  General  Irvine,  in  his  instruc- 
tions, had  treated  it  as  a  point  of  less  importance  than  the  Cuyahoga,  but  yet 
worthy  of  attention.  The  weather  proved  very  unfavorable  after  the  separa- 
tion, the  major,  with  his  party,  was  detained  beyond  the  appointed  time,  and 
the  soldier  with  the  horse,  had  disappeared;  so  that  when  they  reached  the 
designated  place,  weary  and  half  famished,  they  found  no  relief,  and  had 
before  them  a  journey  of  more  than  one  hundred  miles,  through  a  hostile  wil- 
derness. The  examination  of  Grand  river  had,  of  course,  to  be  abandoned, 
and  the  party  was  compelled  to  hasten  back  to  Fort  Pitt. 

"  The  travel  back  was  laborious  and  painful,  the  weather  being  tempestuous 
and  variable.  The  party  pursued  the  most  direct  course  homeward.  Before 
they  reached  the  Connequenessing,  near  about,  as  Major  Craig  thought, 
where  Old  Harmony  now  stands,  the  weather  became  extremely  cold,  and 
they  found  that  stream  frozen  over,  but  the  ice  not  sufficiently  firm  to  bear  the 
weight  of  a  man.  The  following  expedient  was  then  resorted  to  as  the  best 
the  circumstances  allowed:  A  large  fire  was  kindled  on  the  northern  bank 
of  the  Connequenessing,  and  when  it  was  burning  freely,  the  party  stripped 
off  their  clothes;  one  man  took  a  heavy  bludgeon  in  his  hands  to  break  the 
way,  while  each  of  the  others  followed  with  portions  of  their  clothes  and  arms 
in  one  hand  and  a  firebrand  in  the  other.  Upon  reaching  the  southern  bank 
of  the  stream,  these  brands  were  placed  together  and  a  brisk  fire  soon  raised, 
by  which  the  party  dressed  themselves,  and  then  resumed  their  toilsome 
march.  Upon  reaching  the  Cranberry  plains,  they  were  delighted  to  find 
encamped  there  a  hunting  party  consisting  of  Captain  Uriah  Springer  and 
other  officers,  and  some  soldiers,  from  the  fort.  There,  of  course,  they  were 
welcomed  and  kindly  treated,  and,  partaking  of  the  refreshments  in  their 
cases  so  necessary  and  desirable,  they  resumed  their  journey  and  arrived  at 
the  fort  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  December." — Sketch  of  the  Life  and 
Services  of  Isaac  Craig,  by  Neville  B.  Craig,  pp.  41-44.  Consult,  in  this  con- 
nection, the  W.  R.  and  N.  0.  Hist.  Soc.  tract,  No.  22. 


HO  W'l.xJt'attjton-Irvine  Correspondence. 

may  venture  to  assert,  it  is  a  very  elegant  piece  of  workman- 
ship as  well  as  most  useful  one.  It  has  been  executed  under 
the  direction  of  Major  Craig.1 

I  have  used  the  most  rigid  economy  in  every  instance.  The 
whole  expense  is  but  a  trifle.  Though  the  troops  labored  hard, 
yet,  from  the  smallness  of  their  number  and  unavoidable  in- 
terruptions, some  necessary  repairs  remain  yet  unfinished. 
Some  parts  of  the  ramparts  and  parapets  are  much  broken 
down.  A  new  main  gate  and  draw  bridge  are  wanted  and 
some  small  outworks  are  necessary  to  be  erected,  which  cannot 
be  effected  this  winter,  as  it  is  now  high  time  to  lay  in  fuel  and 
make  some  small  repairs  on  the  soldiers'  barracks  to  make 
them  habitable. 

If  I  am  to  be  continued  in  service  and  command  here,  I 
shall  be  much  obliged  to  your  excellency  for  leave  to  visit  my 
family  at  Carlisle  in  the  dead  of  winter,  when  1  suppose  there 
can  be  no  risk  in  my  being  absent  from  the  post.  Besides,  I 
shall  then  be  directly  on  the  line  of  communication  to  this 
place,  and  will  not  stay  longer  than  you  may  judge  proper. 
I  should  not  trouble  your  excellency  with  this  request,  was  not 
the  necessity  for  paying  some  attention  to  my  private  affairs 
very  urgent;  notwithstanding,  if  it  is,  in  any  measure,  in- 
compatible with  your  views,  or  inconsistent  with  my  duty,  I 
will  cheerfully  submit  to  your  excellency's  pleasure  in  the 
matter. 

1  About  this  time,  a  detachment  composed  of  three  hundred  British  and  five 
hundred  Indians  was  formed  in  Canada,  and  after  reaching  the  south  side  of 
Lake  Erie,  embarked  on  Chautauqua  lake  with  twelve  pieces  of  artillery,  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  Fort  Pitt;  but  the  expedition  was  abandoned  before 
proceeding  further,  in  consequence  of  the  reported  repairs  and  strength  of  the 
post.  General  Irvine,  in  August,  picked  up  at  Fort  Pitt  a  number  of  canoes 
which  had  drifted  down  the  river;  and  he  received  repeated  accounts  in  June 
and  Jul}',  from  a  Canadian  who  had  deserted  to  him,  as  well  as  from  friendly 
Indians,  of  this  armament,  but  he  was  ignorant  at  the  time  where  it  had 
assembled.  Notwithstanding  the  enterprise  was  given  up  by  the  enemy,  as 
just  mentioned,  another  project  was  immediately  entered  into  and  carried  out 
with  effect,  by  a  portion  of  the  detachment  marching  against  Hannastown,  a 
settlement  to  the  eastward  of  Pittsburgh.  (See  Appendix  13, —  Irvine  to  Lin- 
coln, July  10,  1782;  also,  Appendix  G,— Irvine  to  Moore,  same  date.) 


Washington  to  Irvine.  1)^.1 


XX. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Head  Quarters,  Newburgh,  December  11,  1782. 

Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  29th  of  October  came  to  hand  a 
few  days  since. 

Viewing  the  matter  on  every  side,  I  think  it  best  the  expe- 
dition was  laid  aside.  Your  reasoning  on  the  subject  is  very 
just  —  such  excursions  serve  only  to  draw  the  resentment  of 
the  savages;  and  I  much  fear,  that  to  the  conduct  of  our  people 
may  be  attributed  many  of  the  excesses  which  have  been  com- 
mitted on  our  frontiers. 

I  am  obliged  to  you  for  the  plan  you  suggest.  I  wish  al- 
ways }tou  would  propose  to  me  any  enterprises  you  may  think 
of  advantage,  and  my  endeavors  shall  not  be  wanting  to  pro- 
mote them  when  our  circumstances  will  admit. 

The  expedition  to  Lake  Erie  is  far  above  any  means  we  have 
in  our  power.  We  cannot  advance  a  single  farthing,  and  to 
undertake  it  with  any  prospect  of  success  or  advantage,  we 
should  have  such  a  command  of  money  as  to  induce  a  number 
of  ship  carpenters  to  accompany  a  sufficient  detachment; 
otherwise  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  build  vessels  there 
without  the  enemy's  knowledge;  and  then  they  could,  and 
doubtless  would,  build  vessels  with  heavier  metal  as  fast  as  we. 

As  to  laying  in  a  magazine  of  salted  provisions,  that  should 
be  done  whether  an  expedition  is  undertaken  on  a  large  scale 
or  not,  and  the  contractors  should  take  measures  for  that 
purpose. 

I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  when  you  have  explored 
the  country  you  mention. 

From  every  appearance  I  do  not  imagine  our  parties  will  be 
distressed  during  the  winter;  and,  as  your  command  will  be  con- 
tinued, if  j'our  private  affairs  require  your  presence,  I  shall 
have  no  objection  to  your  visiting  your  family  for  a  reason- 
able time  whenever  the  situation  of  your  post  will  admit  it. 
Of  that  you  can  best  judge.1 

1  Irvine  left  Fort  Pitt  to  visit  his  family  in  Carlisle  the  last  of  February, 
turning  the  command  of  that  post  and  its  dependencies  over  to  Lieutenant- 


11$  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXI. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Carlisle,  March  6, 1783. 

Sir:  —  I  was  honored  with  your  excellency's  letter  of  the 
7th  December.  Neither  the  situation  of  things  at  Fort 
Pitt,  nor  my  state  of  health  would  admit  of  my  coming  down 
the  country  much  sooner.  I  got  here  two  days  ago,  only. 
There  have  been  no  murders  committed  by  the  savages  this  win- 
Colonel  Stephen  Bayard,  then  of  the  third  Pennsylvania  regiment.  He  reached 
home  March  4th.  (See  next  letter.)  Before  his  departure,  he  issued  the  fol- 
lowing instructions  to  Bayard: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  February,  1783. 

"Sir: — In  my  absence  from  this  post  the  command  will  devolve  on  you. 
As  you  are  so  well  acquainted  with  the  duty  and  police  of  the  garrison,  and 
my  mode  of  conducting  matters  generally,  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to 
descend  to  many  or  minute  particulars.  You  are  also  well  acquainted  with 
the  state  of  the  stores  and  all  public  property,  and  how  necessary  economy  is 
in  every  instance;  particularly  as  it  is  not  only  difficult  to  have  stores  brought 
here,  but  the  transportation  of  them  is  immense. 

"Let  not  the  report  of  peace  or  anything  short  of  an  order  from  proper  au- 
thority for  evacuating  this  post  or  disbanding  the  troops  be  the  smallest  in- 
ducement for  you  to  suffer  any  deviation  from  discipline  and  exact  performance 
of  all  military  duties. 

"  Should  the  savages  commit  murder  on  the  frontier  and  application  is  made 
to  you,  or  you  hear  of  it  with  certainty,  you  will  give  such  assistance  to  protect 
the  inhabitants  as  in  your  power,  consistently  with  the  safety  of  the  post. 
The  assistance  ought  to  be  mutual,  as  the  defense  of  the  country  and  post  de- 
pends much  on  each  other.  You  will,  therefore,  cultivate  a  friendly  inter- 
tercourse  with  the  militia  officers  (if  their  services  should  become  necessary). 
I  make  no  doubt  you  will  make  the  best  arrangements  and  render  every  ser- 
vice in  your  power  comporting  with  these  instructions. 

"Should  any  matters  come  to  my  knowledge  of  consequence  to  the  com- 
mand or  troops  of  this  garrison,  you  shall  have  the  earliest  notice  possible. 
The  post  at  Mcintosh  will  also  claim  your  attention.  I  have  given  the  pres- 
ent commandant  particular  instructions,  which  will  do  for  standing  orders 
during  my  absence,  unless  circumstances  change  very  materially.  I  am,  with 
great  regard,  dear  sir,  your  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"Wm.  Ib-vtne,  B.  Gen'l." 

"P.  S. —  Should  a  necessity  arise  for  demanding  a  few  volunteer  militia,  to 
perform  a  scout,  it  will  be  far  most  advantageous  thoy  should  be  joined  to  a 
few  regulars  and  all  supplied  with  a  certain  number  of  days'  provision  from 
this  place. 

"W.  I. 

"Li  Col.  Bayard." 


Irvine  to  Washington.  l'r: 

ter,  except  one  Mr.  Madison,  who  was  killed  at  Kanawha  ' 
(when  with  a  party  surveying),  the  15th  of  January. 

I  have  heard  nothing  lately  from  any  of  the  Indian  nations, 
but  have  got  accounts  through  a  private  channel  that  Sir  John 
Johnson  2  was  at  Detroit  in  October  last  and  told  the  Indians 
they  must  remain  quiet  till  spring;  that  there  was  a  prospect 
of  peace;  but  if  it  did  not  take  place,  he  would  find  ample 
employment  for  them.  Great  preparations  are  making  and 
magazines  laying  up  at  their  several  posts  on  Lake  Erie;  and 
every  measure  seems  to  threaten  some  capital  stroke  from  them 
to  the  westward  this  spring  or  summer. 

If  we  are  not  in  a  situation  to  perform  enterprises  on  a 
large  scale,  we  ought  at  least  to  try  something  in  the  partisan 
way.  I  have  in  view  to  surprise  a  small  post  called  Fort 
Schlosser,3  at  a  carrying  place  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Erie; 

1  By  Kanawha  is  here  meant  the  Great  Kanawha.  This  stream  is  formed 
by  the  Gauley  and  New  river,  and  enters  the  Ohio  at  Point  Pleasant,  West 
Virginia,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  miles  by  the  course  of 
the  latter  stream,  below  Pittsburgh.  In  early  times,  the  name  was  generally 
written  Kenhawa. 

2  Sir  John  Johnson  was  the  son  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  who,  for  a  long 
time  previous  to  the  revolution  was  colonial  agent  and  sole  superintendent  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Six  Nations  and  other  northern  tribes.  Sir  John  was  born 
in  1742,  and  upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1774,  succeeded  to  his  title  and 
estates  as  well  as  to  the  post  of  major  general  of  militia.  Early  in  1776,  the 
whigs  attempted  to  secure  his  person,  but  with  about  seven  hundred  followers 
he  fled  from  the  interior  of  New  York  to  Canada.  He  was  soon  commissioned 
a  colonel,  raised  two  battalions,  called  the  Royal  Greens;  and  became  one  of 
the  most  active  and  one  of  the  bitterest  foes  that  the  whigs  encountered  dur- 
ing the  revolution.  He  invested  Fort  Stanwix  in  August,  1777,  and  at  Oris- 
kany  defeated  General  Mercer.  In  1780,  he  was  himself  defeated  by  General 
Van  Rensselaer  at  Fox's  Mills.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Sir  John 
went  to  England,  but  returned  in  1785,  and  resided  in  Canada.  He  was 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Montreal 
on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1830.  He  was,  for  a  number  of  years,  a  member 
of  the  legislative  council  of  Canada.  The  British  government,  to  compensate 
him  for  his  losses,  made  him  several  grants  of  land.  His  son,  Sir  Adam  Gor- 
don Johnson,  born  in  1781,  succeeded  to  his  father's  title. 

3  Fort  Schlosser  was  situated  nearly  two  miles  above  the  cataract  of  Niagara 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  Near  this  point  was  the  French  post  Fort  du 
Portage,  which  was  burned  in  1759.  The  fort  was  rebuilt  by  the  British  in 
17G0,  and  named  Fort  Schlosser.     It  was,  along  with  Fort   Niagara,  briefly 


1^  Washington-Iroiiie  Correspondence. 

accomplishing  this,  though  small  in  itself,  might  be  attended 
with  happy  effects,  not  less  perhaps  than  saving  Fort  Pitt  or 
the  post  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio;1  particularly  if  the  stroke 
can  be  made  when  they  have  a  quantity  of  provision  at  the 
place.  It  will  at  any  time  harass  and  embarrass  them,  and 
might  cause  such  delay  as  to  frustrate  their  plan.  I  know  it 
will  be  a  hazardous  undertaking,  chiefly  occasioned  by  Indians 
who  live  in  the  vicinity.  The  garrison  live  in  the  most  per- 
fect state  of  security  —  only  one  officer  and  twenty-five  men. 
I  think  early  in  the  month  of  May  will  be  not  only  the  most 
likely  time  to  succeed,  but  answer  greater  ends;  as,  at  that  sea- 
son they  generally  begin  to  transport  over  the  lake  [Erie] 
their  provisions  and  stores,  and  seldom  have  any  other  guard 
employed  than  barely  enough   to  work  their  vessels. 

Since  my  arrival  at  this  place,  the  reports  and  appearance 
of  peace  are  so  flattering  I  begin  to  persuade  myself  there 
will  be  little  occasion  for  my  returning  to  Fort  Pitt;  however, 
in  order  to  avoid  disappointment  or  delay,  I  have  sent  my 
aid-decamp  [Lieutenant  John  Pose]  to  the  secretary  at  war, 
in  order  to  transact  several  matters  relative  to  the  post,  which 
cannot  be  so  well  done  by  letter;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  will 
prepare  for  returning  to  my  command  the  1st  of  April,  unless 
otherwise  directed  by  your  excellency  or  the  secretary  at  war. 


XXII. —  Irvine  to  "Washington. 

Carlisle,  March  28,  1783. 
Sir: — The  general  face  of  affairs  is  so  much  changed  since 
I  wrote  to  your  excellency  the  Oth  instant,  that  I  think  it  most 
advisable  for  me  to  remain  here,  and  not  return  to  Fort  Pitt 

invested  by  the  savages  in  17G3,  but  was  not  captured.  During  the  revolu- 
tion, as  before  that  time,  the  portage  around  the  falls  terminated  at  this  point; 
its  commencement  being  about  eight  miles  below,  at  what  is  now  Lewiston, 
Niagara  county,  New  York. 

1  In  1780,  a  fort  was  built  "  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,"  at  what  was  then  (or 
soon  after)  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  called  Fort  Nelson,  in  honor  of  Thomas 
Nelson,  at  that  date  governor  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  which  state  included 
the  whole  of  Kentucky.  In  17S2,  a  larger  and  more  commodious  fort  was  con. 
structed  on  the  same  site.     It  contained  about  an  acre  of  ground. 


Irvine  to  Washington.  IJjIj 

till  I  receive  your  orders,  especially  as  everything  is  quiet  in 
that  quarter  and  the  post  in  good  order.  Both  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania  troops,  of  whom  the  garrison  are  composed 
(being  enlisted  for  the  war  expressly),  will  not  think  them- 
selves obliged  to  do  one  hour's  duty  after  the  peace  is  an- 
nounced.  And  should  they  be  disbanded  before  measures  are 
taken  for  securing  the  stores,  great  waste  and  perhaps  total 
destruction  will  take  place.  I  may  call  a  militia  guard,  but 
that  will  be  small  security,  I  assure  you.     .     .     . 

As  there  is  no  paymaster  at  the  post,  Mr.  Morris  and  the 
paymaster  general  have  prevailed  on  Lieutenant  Hose,  my 
aid-de-camp,  to  make  one  month's  payment  to  the  troops,  in 
order  to  save  the  expense  of  an  appointment  for  that  purpose; 
I  will  therefore  let  him  proceed  immediately.1     Perhaps  the 

1  The  meaning  of  Irvine  is  that  Rose  would  immediately  proceed  to  Fort 
Pitt.    The  general's  order  was  as  follows: 

"Carlisle,  April  1,  1783. 

"You  will  immediately  proceed  to  Fort  Pitt  and  pay  the  troops  of  that  gar- 
rison, agreeably  to  the  directions  of  the  paymaster  general.  You  will  keep 
an  account  of  the  expenses  of  your  journey  and  charge  the  same  to  the  United 
States.  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"To  Lieutenant  John  Rose." 

Rose's  account  of  the  expenses  of  his  journey,  as  rendered,  was  as  follows: 
"The  United  States, 

"To  John  Rose,  Lieutenant  3d  Penn.  Reg't,  Dr. 

"  To  my  expenses  on  a  journey  from  Carlisle  to  Fort  Pitt,  being  six 

days,  at  $2.00  per  day, $12.00." 

[Instead  of  the  dollar  mark  ($),  the  word  is  given.] 

The  following  is  the  correspondence  between  Rose  and  the  paymaster  gen- 
eral while  the  former  was  acting-paymaster  at  Fort  Pitt: 

"Philadelphia,  March  21,  1783. 

"  Sir: —  As  you  have  been  so  kind  as  to  undertake  to  pay  the  troops  for  me 
at  Fort  Pitt,  I  do  hereby  authorize  you  to  draw  bills  on  me  for  the  monthly 
subsistence  of  the  officers  there,  agreeably  to  the  rates  of  the  establishment 
signed  by  the  secretary  at  war  now  given  to  you.  You  will  be  cautious  not  to 
pay  any  persons  but  those  on  the  present  arrangement.  You  will  take  dupli- 
cate receipts  from  each  officer  and  transmit  me  one  set  with  your  accounts  as 
often  as  safe  conveyances  occur. 

"  If  you  can  find  a  sale  for  your  bills  on  me,  you  will  be  pleased  to  pay  to 

the  privates  of  the  infantry  half  a  dollar  a  week,  and  to  the  non-commissioned 

officers  and  the  privates  of  the  other  corps  in  the  same  proportion,  until  you 

have  paid  to  them  one  month's  pay,  which  is  to  be  for  January,  1783,  and 

10 


llfi  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

order  for  paying  the  men  only  half  a  dollar  a  week  may  be 
dispensed  with,  and  that  they  may  receive  the  whole  at  once, 
but  he  will  proceed  in  the  mode  directed  till  your  excellency's 
pleasure  is  signified. 

I  understand  the  paymaster  general  is  gone  to  settle  with 
the  main  army,  and  I  presume  some  person  will  also  be  sent 
for  this  purpose  to  the  southern  army.  The  troops  at  Fort 
Pitt  are  considered  as  of  the  latter,  but  in  this  business  I  con- 
ceive them  unconnected,  and  that  it  would  be  expedient  to 
have  some  person  appointed  for  this  purpose,  and  this  can  not 


take  duplicate  vouchers,  as  in  the  case  of  the  officers'  subsistence.  Mr.  Tan- 
nehill,  the  gentleman  who  has  lately  transacted  my  business  at  Fort  Pitt,  being 
discharged  and  having  the  sum  of  forty-seven  dollars  and  thirty-ninetieths  in 
his  hands  of  the  public  monies,  you  will  please  to  receive  the  same  from  him 
and  apply  it  to  the  public  use. 

"  As  he  has  not  sent  down  his  last  vouchers,  I  will  thank  you  to  pay  an  at- 
tention to  their  being  forwarded.  I  am,  sir,  with  respect,  your  most  obedient 
servant,  Joiin  Pierce,  P.  G. 

"  Captain  John  Rose." 

"Fort  Pitt,  May  5,  1783. 

"Sir: — Inclosed  I  transmit  to  you  the  accounts  and  vouchers  of  one  month's 
pay  and  four  months'  subsistence  paid  the  officers  at  this  post,  continued  on 
the  present  arrangement.  Lieutenant  Samuel  Bryson's  pay  of  the  second 
Pennsylvania  regiment  remains  in  my  hands,  he  having  obtained  leave  of 
absence  before  my  arrival  here. 

"Empowered  by  your  instructions,  I  have  given  Mr.  William  Wilson,  or 
his  order,  a  draft  on  you  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  I  expect  the  dis- 
charge of  it  will  meet  with  no  delay  when  presented,  as  the  receipts  for  the 
disbursements  of  the  money  accompany  this  letter. 

"The  soldiers  here  have  refused  receiving  their  pay  for  one  month  at  the 
weekly  rates  proposed;  but  should  they  be  paid,  are  the  muster-rolls  to  be  the 
guide  to  the  paymaster,  or  is  he  to  confine  himself  to  the  regulated  establish- 
ment of  the  army,  namely:  some  companies  muster  a  double  number  of 
drums  and  fifes,  etc.  ?  Again,  men  who  were  mustered  in  January,  but  since 
discharged  the  service,  are  these,  upon  application  made  by  them,  to  receive 
this  pay?  And  again,  prisoners  of  war  and  others,  not  mustered  in  January, 
but  now  actually  on  the  spot  doing  duty,  are  they  to  be  included? 

"  With  much  economy  I  shall  be  able  to  rake  up  subsistence  for  May;  after 
that,  the  garrison  will  depend  upon  your  goodness  and  care  to  forward  it  in 
cash.  You  will  please  to  favor  me  with  a  few  lines  signifying  the  receipt  of 
my  accounts  and  vouchers  delivered  you  by  Mr.  Blackwood.     I  am,  etc. 

"John  Rose. 

"John  Pierce,  Esq.,  Paymaster  General." 


Irvine  to  Washington.  lJfl 

be  done  after  they  are  separated  from  the  officers  now  with 
them.  They  have  confidence  in  my  promise  to  them  last  year 
(by  your  excellency's  order)  that  they  might  depend  on  being 
treated,  in  every  respect,  equal  to  any  other  troops  of  the 
army.  And  I  think  I  may  venture,  without  creating  a  sus- 
picion of  vanity,  to  assure  your  excellency  that  this  confidence 
is  heightened  by  the  unremitting  pains  I  have  taken  to  have 
them  provided  for,  and  at  the  same  time  exact  discipline  kept 
up,  but  for  this  I  have  been  compensated  by  the  good  order 
established  and  the  cheerfulness  and  alacrity  with  which  they 

"Fort  Pitt,  June  8,  1783. 

"■Sir: — My  accounts  and  vouchers  for  the  payment  of  the  subsistence  for 
May  accompany  this  letter.  I  now  retain  cash  for  bills  sold  General  Irvine  to 
the  amount  of  nineteen  hundred  eighty-four  dollars,  the  exact  sum  requisite 
to  pay  the  soldiery  at  this  post  one  month's  pay.  Though  they  refused  to 
take  it  at  the  weekly  rates  proposed,  as  I  mentioned  to  you  in  a  former  letter, 
yet  I  make  no  doubt  they  will  request  and  expect  it  in  one  payment  as  soon 
as  the  time  is  elapsed  it  would  require  to  pay  it  in  the  first  mode  prescribed. 
General  Irvine,  therefore,  wishes  I  should  reserve  this  sum  until  I  could  receive 
your  instructions  on  this  head. 

"But  as  this  sum  includes  all  the  public  money  remaining  in  his  hands, 
and  as  I  have  no  prospect  of  any  farther  sale  of  any  bills  upon  you,  I  shall  be 
necessitated  to  apply  a  part  of  the  sum  mentioned  to  the  subsistence  of  the 
officers.  Should  you  determine  to  pay  the  troops  of  this  post  their  month's 
pay  agreeable  to  this  requisition  in  one  payment,  you  will  please  to  transmit 
me  by  the  bearer  of  this  letter  as  much  money  as  will  be  necessary  to  pay  the 
officers  their  subsistence  for  the  time  they  are  likely  to  be  continued  here.  By 
Mr.  John  Irwin,  you  will  find  a  very  safe  conveyance.  He  promises  to  wait 
on  you  for  an  answer  to  this  and  my  letter  of  the  5th  of  last  month  fa  vored 
by  Mr.  Blackwood.    I  am,  etc.,  John  Rose. 

"  Jonx  Pierce,  Esq.,  Paymaster  General." 

"  Pay  Office,  Philadelphia,  July  21,  1783. 
"  Sir: — Yours  of  the  5th  of  May  last  with  the  accounts  inclosed  I  have  re- 
ceived, and  your  bill  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  is  duly  honored.  In 
answer  to  that  letter,  I  will  say,  we  are  obliged  to  take  muster  rolls  for  our 
sole  guide,  which  are  sufficient  vouchers  for  payment  of  moneys.  You  must 
take  care  that  your  payments  be  as  small  as  possible,  for  which  reason  it  is 
much  the  best  to  omit  the  discharged  men,  if  in  your  power;  and  if  a  larger 
number  of  drums  and  fifes  are  mustered  than  what  are  allowed  in  the  estab- 
lishment, the  muster  master  ought  to  be  called  on  to  answer  for  such  allow- 
ance; but  we  have  no  power  to  alter  it.  If,  in  February  rolls,  men  are 
mustered  for  January,  the  January  pay  will  be  drawn  with  the  February,  and 
so  on  from  time  to  time. 


lJf.8  Washington-I  rvine  Correspondence. 

perform  all  kinds  of  duty.  In  the  meantime  I  will  direct 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Bayard,  the  present  commanding  officer, 
to  keep  the  troops  together  in  all  events,  till  he  receives  posi- 
tive orders  to  the  contrary. 

If  your  excellency  should  think  proper  to  direct  my  return 
to  Fort  Pitt,  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  by  your  limiting  the 
time  of  my  stay, —  some  attention  to  my  health  being  neces- 
sary, as  it  is  much  impaired.  And  I  farther  beg  whatever  or- 
ders or  instructions  you  judge  necessary  may  be,  as  soon  as 
convenient,  forwarded  to  me  at  this  place. 

Sir: — The  most  glorious  news  of  a  general  peace,  honorable 
for  America,  arrived  here  two  days  ago.  On  this  happy  oc- 
casion, I  pray  your  excellency  may  be  pleased  to  accept  my 
sincere  congratulations.  That  you  may  long  live  to  enjoy  the 
well-earned  fruits  of  your  labors  is  the  ardent  wish  of,  sir,  etc. 


XXIII. —  Irvine  to  Washington. 

Carlisle,  April  1G,  1783. 
Sir:  —  I  have  received  a  letter  this  day  from  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Bayard,1  at  Fort  Pitt,  informing  me  that  the  savages 

"  I  have  also  received  yours  of  the  8th  of  last  month.  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  but  you  may  pay  the  soldiers  their  month's  pay  for  January  all  at  once; 
but  as  for  the  subsistence  money  due  the  officers  for  this  year,  we  have  not  tho 
way  of  paying  them,  but  by  notes  granted  by  Mr.  Hilligas  payable  monthly. 
I  could  send  them  some  of  them  if  I  thought  it  would  answer  the  purpose. 
The  officers  of  the  main  army  receive  them  and  the  contractors  receive  them 
commonly  for  provisions  supplied  the  officers.  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient 
servant,  Philip  Audebert,  Assistant  Paymaster  General. 

"P.  S. —  The  paymaster  general  is  at  headquarters.  Mr.  Morris1  notes, 
payable  in  six  months  from  the  10th  day  of  June,  are  ready  for  three  months' 
pay  of  the  army,  and  you  may  have  them  whenever  you  please. 

''L't  John  Rose." 

The  promptness  of  Rose's  settlement  with  the  paymaster  general  is  indi- 
cated by  the  date  of  the  following  receipt: 

"Pat  Office,  Philadelphia,  November  ">,  1783. 

"  Received  of  L't  John  Rose  fifty-four  dollars  and  o-90,  being  the  full  bal- 
ance of  his  account  settled  in  this  office  while  acting  as  paymaster  at  Fort 
Pitt.  Philip  Acdebert,  A.  P.  M." 

1  Bayard  to  Irvine,  April  5,  1783,  Appendix  M. 


Washington  to  Irvine.  1J+9 

have  killed  and  taken  a  number  of  families,  nearly  at  the 
same  time,  in  different  quarters  of  the  country,  both  on  the 
frontiers  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania;  seventeen  persons  are 
said  to  be  killed  and  scalped  in  one  small  settlement  on  Wheel- 
ing creek.1  This  stroke  has  been  very  unexpected;  numbers 
of  people  were  returning  to  their  places  in  confidence  that 
these  wretches  would  not  dare  to  continue  the  war  unsup- 
ported. 

I  presume  this  conduct  will  give  force  to  a  temper  already 
pretty  prevalent  among  the  back  settlers,  never  to  make  peace 
with  Indians;  and,  indeed,  I  am  almost  persuaded  it  will  be 
next  to  impossible  to  insure  peace  with  them  till  the  whole  of 
the  western  tribes  are  driven  over  the  Mississippi  and  the  lakes, 
entirely  bej-ond  the  American  lines,  —  which  will  not  now  be 
very  difficult,  but  would  take  two  summers  at  least,  and  be  at- 
tended with  great  expense;  yet  I  am  certain  not  so  great  as 
holding  treaties,  and  have  much  better  effect,  as  all  the  sums 
heretofore  expended  in  treating  and  presents  have  been  worse 
than  thrown  away.  I  have  not  yet  been  honored  with  your 
excellency's  acknowledgment  of  the  receipt  of  my  letters  of 
the  6th  and  28th  March. 


XXIY. —  Washington  to  Irvine. 

Head  Quarters,  April  16,  1783. 
Sir: —  In  reply  to  your  favor  of  the  28th  of  March,  I  have 
to  observe  that  it  is  probable  that  a  dissolution  of  the  army  is 
not  far  distant,  but  as  it  is  uncertain  when  the  proclamation 
of  peace  and  cessation  of  hostilities  will  be  ordered  by  con- 
gress;2 and  as  it  is  of  much  importance,  for  the  reasons  men- 
tioned by  yourself,  among  others,  that  you  should  be  present 

1  Wheeling  creek  enters  the  Ohio  on  the  left,  at  the  distance  of  ninety-three 
miles,  by  the  river's  course,  below  Pittsburgh.  Its  mouth  is  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 

2  The  preliminary  articles  of  peace  were  signed  at  Paris,  November  30, 
1782;  the  general  —  or  as  it  was  then  generally  styled,  the  definitive  — treaty, 
at  the  same  place,  January  20,  1783.  It  was  ratified  by  congress,  April  11th, 
following,  and  publicly  proclaimed  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  three  days 
after  the  date  of  the  above  letter. 


150  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

at  your  post,  previous  to  and  at  the  taking  place  of  that  event; 
I  have  to  desire  that  you  will  proceed  immediately  to  Fort 
Pitt,  where  your  influence  and  prudence  may  be  much  needed. 

Particular  instructions  respecting  the  security  and  disposi- 
tion of  the  stores,  after  disbanding  the  troops  now  at  the  gar- 
rison, it  is  not  in  my  power  to  give  you  at  this  time.  These 
you  will  probably  soon  receive  from  the  secretary  at  war,  and 
will  depend  upon  the  arrangements  which  shall  be  adopted  for 
a  peace  establishment,  which  are  now  under  consideration.1 
On  this  decision,  also,  will  probably  depend  the  length  of  time 
which  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  remain  at  the  post. 

The  paymaster  general  is  now  taking  measures  for  forming 
his  settlements  with  the  army.  In  his  arrangement,  the  whole 
are  to  be  included,  and  will  undoubtedly  extend  to  Fort  Pitt. 

The  happy  event  of  a  general  peace  diffuses  very  universal 
satisfaction.  With  great  sincerity,  I  return  you  my  congrat- 
ulations on  the  occasion,  and  beg  you  to  accept  my  thanks  for 
the  good  wishes  which  you  apply  personally  to  myself. 


XXV. —  Irvine  to  Washington.2 

Carlisle,  May  8,  1783. 

Sir: — Your  excellency's  favor  of  the  16th  of  April  did  not 
come  to  hand  till  this  day.  Agreeable 'to  your  desire,  I  will 
proceed  to  Fort  Pitt  immediately.8 

I  entreat  your  excellency  will  be  pleased  to  give  particular 
instructions  respecting  any  measures  you  may  deem  proper  for 
that  garrison;  as  I  have  reason  to  fear  it  will  otherwise  come 
in  late  for  a  share  of  public  notice. 

Letters  of  a  late  date  inform  me  that  the  savajjes  have  not 
done  any  damage  in  that  quarter  since  the  first  of  April. 

1  The  secretary  at  war  wrote  Irvine,  June  23,  1783,  but  the  letter  miscar- 
ried.    (See  Appendix  B, —  Jackson  to  Irvine,  September  15„  17-.'!.) 

2  This  letter  is  the  last  one  written  by  Irvine  as  commander  of  the  western 
department  to  Washington  which  has  been  found, —  one  written  as  late  as  the 
6th  of  September,  1783,  unfortunately  being  lost. 

3  Irvine  reached  Fort  Pitt  on  his  third  trip  out,  a  little  past  the  middle  of 
May.     On  the  first  of  July,  because  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions  at  his  post, 


Washington  to  Irvine.  151 


XXVI. —  Washington  to  Ijkvine.1 

IIocky  Hill,  September  16,  1783. 

Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  6th  by  Lieutenant  Itose  has  been 
duly  received. 

As  the  secretary  at  war  had  undertaken  to  furlough  all  that 
part  of  the  army  which  lay  south  of  the  Delaware,  I  was  much 

he  furloughed  most  of  the  troops  for  a  few  days,  and  afterward  continued  the 
f  urloughing  for  some  time,  in  rotation.  From  the  fifteenth  of  May  to  the 
eighteenth  of  July,  there  was  but  one  maraud  of  savages  into  the  western 
settlements.  From  the  last  mentioned  date  to  the  time  of  Irvine's  final  de- 
parture from  Pittsburgh,  comparative  quiet  reigned  throughout  the  western 
department.  On  the  twenty-sixth  of  September,  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
assistant  secretary  at  war  notifying  him  that  as  soon  as  a  detachment  of 
troops  arrived  which  were  then  on  their  way,  he  would  be  relieved  from  com- 
mand at  Fort  Pitt,  which  he  sojnuch  desired.  He  was  authorized  to  furlough 
as  many  of  his  garrison  at  once  as  consistent  with  safety.  This  he  did,  turn- 
ing over  the  remainder  to  one  of  his  captains,  and  on  the  first  day  of  October 
started  for  his  home  in  Carlisle. 

1  This  letter  of  Washington  ended  the  official  correspondence  between  him 
and  General  Irvine  during  the  revolution.  The  latter,  the  day  before  his  de- 
parture, was  presented  with  the  following  address : 

"  Pittsburgh,  September  30,  1783. 
"  To  Brigadier  General  Irvine, 

"  Commanding  at  Fort  Pitt  and  its  Dependencies. 

"Sir: — The  inhabitants  of  Pittsburgh  having  just  learned  that  you  intend 
to  retire  from  this  command  to-morrow,  would  do  injustice  to  their  own  feel- 
ings if  they  did  not  express  their  thanks  to  you,  and  their  sense  of  your  merit 
as  an  officer.  During  your  command  in  this  department,  you  have  demon- 
strated that  amidst  the  tumults  of  war,  the  laws  may  he  enforced  and  civil 
liberty  and  society  protected.  Your  attention  to  the  order  and  discipline  of 
the  regular  troops  under  your  command,  as  well  as  to  the  militia,  your  regard 
to  the  civil  rights  of  the  inhabitants,  the  care  you  have  taken  of  the  public 
property,  and  your  economy  in  the  expenditure  of  the  public  money,  we  have 
all  witnessed.  This  conduct,  we  assure  you,  has  given  general  satisfaction  to 
a  people  who,  before  your  time,  were,  unfortunately  for  them,  much  divided, 
but  now  united. 

"As  you  are  now  about  to  quit  the  military  life  (in  which  your  ability  and 
integrity  have  been  so  conspicuous),  we  wish  you  all  possible  happiness,  and 
that  your  fellow  citizens  may  long  enjoy  your  usefulness  in  civil  life,  in  which 
we  doubt  not  you  will  deserve  their  utmost  confidence. 

"  Wo  regret  that  we  were  not  sooner  informed  of  the  time  you  intended  to 
set  out,  as  we  are  confident  the  whole  country  would  have,  with  pride,  joined 
us  in  this  or  a  more  animated  and  better  drawn-up  address. 


152  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

surprised  on  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  to  find  that  business 
so  irregularly  conducted  at  Fort  Pitt;  but,  on  inquiry  at  the 
war  office,  the  difficulty  seems  evidently  to  have  originated 
from  circumstances  that  could  not  have  been  foreseen,  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  you  will  be  fully  informed  of  by  Major  [A\r.] 
Jackson,  assistant  secretary  at  war,  and  which,  I  hope,  will  be 
perfectly  satisfactory  to  you. 

"  We  sincerely  wish  you  health  and  a  happy  meeting  with  your  family  and 
friends  at  Carlisle; — and  are,  with  gieat  esteem  and  respect,  sir,  your  obedi- 
ent and  very  humble  servants, 

"  John  Ormsby,  Joseph  Nicholson, 

Devereux  Smith,  Samuel  Sample, 

David  Duncan,  Alexander  Fowler, 

Daniel  Elliott,  Wdliam  Christy, 

Samuel  Ewa.lt,  John  Hardin, 

George  Walker,  William  Amberson." 

General  Irvine's  Reply. 

"  Fort  Pitt,  September  30,  1783. 

"Gentlemen: — Accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  address,  however  flat- 
tering', handed  me  by  you  on  behalf  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Pittsburgh.  Conscious  of  the  rectitude  of  my  intentions,  I  am  happy  that 
they  have  met  with  your  approbation.  This  testimony  of  your  satisfaction  is 
to  me  a  most  pleasing  reward  for  the  anxious  moments  I  have  passed.  I  have 
ever  felt  disposed  to  sacrifice  personal  considerations  for  the  benefit  not  only 
of  the  public,  but  for  that  of  every  individual  connected  with  my  local 
command. 

"Your  concurrence  in  all  the  measures  which  I  adopted  to  facilitate  the 
public  service,  deserves  my  most  unfeigned  acknowledgments.  I  have  the 
honor  to  be,  with  great  regard,  gentlemen,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  W.  Ik  vine," 


APPENDIX  A. 


IRVINE  TO  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  CONGRESS. 


I. 

Philadelphia,  October  3,  178 1.1 
Sir: — I  am  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  troubling 
your  excellency  to  inform  you  that  I  have  it  not  yet  in  my 
power  to  proceed  to  Fort  Pitt,  not  being  able  to  obtain  the 
small  supply  of  cash  which  congress  was  pleased  to  direct  a 
warrant  issued  in  my  favor  for. 

This  information  I  think  it  my  duty  obliges  me  to  give, 
lest  the  objects  for  which  I  am  ordered  there  may  be  lost.  I 
can  assure  your  excellency  no  unnecessary  delay  shall  be  made 
the  moment  I  have  it  in  my  power  to  proceed.  I  have,  there- 
fore, to  request  the  further  orders  of  congress. 


II. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  3,  178 1.2 
Sir: — Agreeable  to  the  directions  of  congress,  I  have  ar- 
ranged the  troops  here  in  such  a  manner  as  to  retain  no  more 
officers  than  sufficient  for  the  number  of  men.3  The  whole 
are  now  re-formed  into  four  companies,  namely:  the  seventh 
Virginia  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Gibson,  into  two; 

1  Irvine  directed  this  and  the  following  letter  to  the  president  of  congress, 
simply.  The  incumbent,  at  that  date,  was  Thomas  McKean,  of  Delaware. 
He  was  superseded  on  the  5th  of  November,  1781,  by  John  Hanson,  of  Mary- 
land. 

2  This  letter  is,  to  a  great  extent,  anticipated  by  Irvine's  letter  to  Washing- 
ton of  the  day  previous  (ante,  p.  72). 

s  This,  it  will  be  noticed,  was  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  con- 
gress, directing  him  "  to  arrange  the  troops  which  compose  the  garrison  of 
Fort  Pitt  and  its  dependencies  in  such  manner  as  to  retain  no  more  officers 
than  are  absolutely  necessary  for  the  number  of  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates  at  these  posts."    (Ante,  p.  72,  note  1.) 


loJf.  Washingtork-Irvine  Correspondence. 

and  the  late  eighth  Pennsylvania,  also  into  two.  The  latter  I 
have  styled  a  detachment  from  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and 
have  directed  the  supernumerary  officers  to  repair  forthwith 
to  join  their  respective  regiments  in  the  line.  I  have  dis- 
missed several  civil  staff"  officers.1  The  only  one  retained  is 
Mr.  Samuel  Sample,  who  has  been  doing  the  duty  of  quar- 
termaster ever  since  Mr.  Duncan  was  put  under  arrest.2  I  am 
of  opinion  some  person  to  act  in  that  department  is  indispen- 
sably necessary;  and  having  no  cause  to  fault  Mr.  Sample's 
conduct,  have  continued  him  until  the  pleasure  of  congress  is 
known.3 

I  am  sorry  to  inform  the  honorable,  the  congre-s,  that  Gen- 
eral Clark's  expedition  has  failed.  He  got  no  further  than 
the  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  whence  a  number  of  his  men  has  re- 
turned here.  Several  of  his  detached  parties  are  killed  or 
taken,  particularly  a  Colonel  Lochry,  with  about  one  hundred 
men,  all  volunteers,  except  a  company  commanded  by  Captain 
Stokely,  raised  by  Pennsylvania  for  the  defense  of  Westmore- 
land county.  This  party,  on  its  way  down  after  the  main 
body,  was  ambuscaded  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river,  and 
it  is  said  was  all  cut  to  pieces.4  These  misfortunes  have 
thrown  the  people  of  this  country  into  great  consternation, 
especially  of  Westmoreland  county,  where  the  loss  of  so  manjr 
of  their  best  men  has  thinned  and   weakened   their  frontier 


1  Irvine  was,  by  congress,  authorized  and  directed,  it  will  be  remembered, 
to  arrang  i  the  staff  departments  within  his  command,  so  as  to  retain  no  more 
officers  or  persons  in  those  departments  than  the  service  absolutely  demanded. 
(Ante,  p.  72,  note  1.) 

2  David  Duncan.  He  attended  to  Michael  Huffnagle's  (the  contractor's) 
business  at  Fort  Pitt.     (Ante,  p.  81,  note  1.) 

In  March,  1781,  Duncan  was  appointed  by  the  supreme  executive  council 
of  Pennsj-lvania,  a  commissioner  of  purchases  for  the  county  of  Westmore- 
land, llw  duty  was  to  supply  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pitt  and  state  troops  called 
out  for  the  defense  of  the  border.  Being  charged  with  speculating  in  public 
funds,  he  had  1)  ien  pat  under  arrest,  but,  it  appears,  was  soon  afl 
He  had  previously  resigned. 

3  Mr.  S  imple's  office  was  that  of  acting  assistant  quartermaster.  II'  was 
an  old  resident  of  Pittsburgh,  having  kept  a  public  house  there  as  early  as 
177m. 

4  See  Appendix  G, —  Irvine  to  Moore,  December  0,  1781. 


Appendix  A.  155 

exceedingly.     Many  are  preparing  to  retreat  to  the  east  side 
of  the  mountain  early  in  the  spring. 

It  is  a  prevailing  opinion,  and  I  fear  too  well  founded,  that 
the  savages  and  British  at  Detroit  will  be  so  elated  with  the 
miscarriage  of  General  Clark  and  others,  that  they  will,  in  all 
probability,  visit  this  post,  or  at  least  harass  the  whole  fron- 
tier country,  in  the  spring.1  I  assure  your  excellency  we  are 
ill-provided  for  their  reception.  Fort  Pitt  is  a  heap  of  ruins. 
It  never  was  tenable  when  in  best  repair.  There  is  a  much 
better  position  about  four  miles  down  the  river,  at  the  mouth 
of  Chartiers  creek,  where  a  redoubt  could  be  built  at  a  small 
expense, —  I  am  certain  much  smaller  than  to  repair  Fort  Pitt. 
Besides,  there  are  many  advantages  attending  keeping  a  gar- 
rison there,  which  give  it  a  preference  to  this  place. 

As  I  believe  re-formations  and  arranging  the  troops  were  the 
first  objects  congress  had  in  view  by  sending  me  here,  that 
being  now  nearly  accomplished,  and  little  danger  to  be  appre- 
hended of  an  attack  during  the  winter, —  I  request  congress 
will  be  pleased  to  permit  me  to  go  down  the  country  as  far  as 
Carlisle  for  the  months  of  January  and  February.  If  your 
honorable  body  thinks  proper  to  continue  me  on  this  com- 
mand, I  will  return  in  March,  or  as  soon  as  they  please  to  di- 
rect. However,  I  flatter  myself  they  will  not  insist  on  my 
continuance  without  allowing  me  a  few  more  regular  troops. 
If  I  had  five  hundred  in  addition  to  the  few  here,  I  could 
probably,  with  the  aid  of  the  militia,  afford  effectual  support 
to  the  country,  by  being  able  to  act  on  the  defensive.  But  I 
am  persuaded  it  would  answer  a  much  better  purpose  if  we 
could  act  offensively.  There  is  great  necessity,  in  my  opinion, 
for  adopting  speedily  some  regular  plan  for  action,  or  this 
country  had  better  be  entirely  evacuated  and  given  up  at  once; 
as  there  are  at  present  but  small  prospects  of  saving  the  few 
troops  and  stores  that  are  here  should  the  enemy  push  us  in 
April.  I  think  proper  measures  could  be  better  concerted  by 
my  being  present  either  with  congress  or  General  Washington; 

'The  savages,  in  fact,  did  "  harass  the  whole  frontier  country  in  the  spring  " 
of  1782;  and,  owing  to  very  mild  weather  in  February,  their  visits  were  much 
earlier  than  usual.     (Ante,  p.  99,  note  2.) 


156  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

as  there  are  many  things  which  on  such  occasions  can  not  be 
so  well  committed  to  paper.  However,  I  shall  submit  to  the 
pleasure  of  congress,  and  in  the  meantime  wait  here  for  or- 
ders, which  I  beg  by  the  return  of  the  express,  who  I  have 
directed  to  wait  your  excellency's  commands. 


APPENDIX  B. 


CORRESPONDENCE     WITH     THE     CONTINENTAL    BOARD     OF 

WAR;1  ALSO  WITH  THE  SECRETARY  AT  WAR2 

AND  HIS  ASSISTANT.3 


I. —  Irvine  to  the  Board  of  War. 

Philadelphia,  September  25,  1TS1. 

Gentlemen:  —  I  received  this  morning  a  resolution  of  con- 
gress directing  me  to  repair  forthwith  to  Fort  Pitt  to  take  the 
command  of  that  garrison. 

As  I  believe  this  measure  has  been  recommended  by  your 
honorable  board,  I  must  request  you  will  please  to  reconsider 
the  matter.  I  consider  it  lays  me  under  great  hardships  which 
I  am  well  convinced  you  did  not  intend;  however,  the  facts 
are  that  it  will  be  taking  on  me  a  command  that  is  in  no 

1  On  the  12th  of  June,  1776,  congress  appointed  a  committee  of  five  of  its 
own  members  to  be  known  as  the  board  of  war  and  ordnance.  It  was  the 
duty  of  the  board  to  keep  a  fu!l  register  of  the  army;  a  regular  account  of 
the  state  and  disposition  of  the  troops  in  the  respective  colonies ;  and  a  full 
account  of  all  war  material  belonging  to  the  United  States.  The  board  was 
to  send  all  dispatches  and  monies  from  congress  to  the  colonies  and  armies; 
and  it  had  charge  of  the  raising,  fitting  out,  and  dispatching  of  all  the  land 
forces.  It  had  the  care,  also,  of  all  prisoners  of  war  and  the  custody  of  all 
papers  coming  into  its  possession  by  order  of  congress  or  otherwise.  In  short, 
it  had  a  general  supervision  of  all  matters  appertaining  to  the  land  forces. 

The  board  had  been  abolished  previous  to  the  date  of  the  above  letter;  but 
the  members  were  requested  to  continue  to  transact  its  duties  until  assumed 
by  the  secretary  at  war;  which  officer  was  not  elected  for  over  a  month  subse- 
quent; hence,  the  necessity  that  Irvine  should  address  his  letter  to  the  board 
of  war. 

2  Major  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  was  elected  by  congress  on  the  30th  of 
October,  1781,  as  secretary  at  war,  superseding  the  continental  board  of  war 
and  ordnance  in  office  about  a  month  afterward,  and  serving  until  the  29th 
of  October,  1783,  when  he  retired  with  a  vote  of  congress  acknowledging  his 
highly  meritorious  services.  The  reason  why  the  three  following  letters  were 
directed  to  the  board  of  war  was  because  when  written,  Irvine  had  not  yet 
received  information  of  Lincoln's  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office. 

3  W.  Jackson. 


158  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

degree  adequate  for  an  officer  of  my  rank  and  that  there  are 
neither  money  nor  materials  to  put  the  few  troops  there  in  a 
respectable  situation.  1  hope  neither  congress  or  the  board 
will  expect  that  I  should  shut  myself  up  there  with  a  com- 
mand not  superior  to  a  major's.  I  believe  there  are  great 
irregularities  and  abuses  committed  and  that  some  arrange- 
ments are  absolutely  necessary.  I  consider  myself  under  obli- 
gations to  your  honorable  board  in  placing  such  confidence  in 
me  as  to  think  me  a  suitable  person  to  make  these  arrange- 
ments, but  I  flatter  myself  the  resolution  may  be  altered  so  far 
as  respects  my  remaining  there. 

The  board,  I  hope,  will  also  consider  that  my  traveling  there, 
if  no  troops  go,  will  be  attended  with  a  heavy  expense.  I 
must  necessarily  take  a  number  of  horses  and  attendants,  all 
of  which  must  be,  in  the  present  situation  of  affairs,  defrayed 
as  a  private  person  at  tavern  expense.  Either  some  money 
must  be  advanced  on  account,  or  a  few  months'  pay  will  .be 
indispensably  necessary  for  me. 

I  am  informed  the  few  troops  there  are  in  a  most  deplor- 
able situation,  for  want  of  money  and  in  fact  every  necessary 
of  life.  Should  I  go  there,  they  will  of  course  look  up  to  me 
for  relief.  I  hope,  therefore,  that  at  least  one  month's  pay 
may  be  provided  for  thern;  and  such  clothing  as  can  be  spared 
them  should  be  instantly  forwarded,  otherwise  the  winter  set- 
ting in  will  prevent  their  getting  them.  There  are  now  some 
few  articles  of  clothing  at  Carlisle  for  that  garrison,  which  the 
quartermaster  cannot  forward  for  want  of  money. 


II. —  Irvine  to   the  Board  of  War. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  3,  1781. 
Gentlemen:  —  I  do  myself  the  honor  to  transmit  copies  of 
my  orders  for  the  purpose   of  arranging  the  troops  here,  and 
also  respecting  provision,  which  I  hope  will  meet  the  approba- 
tion of  your  honorable  board.1     I  have  struck  off  twocominis- 

1  The  following  are  the  orders  referred  to:  — 

[I.] 

"Foiit  Pitt,  November  10,  1781. 

"The  troops  formerly  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania  regiment  are  no  longer  to 
be  considered  as  a  regiment,  but  a  detachment  from  the  Pennsylvania  line, 


Appendix  B.  159 

saries,  one  forage  master,  and  one  Indian  intcrpcter.  There 
remain  yet  Mr.  [Alexander]  Fowler  and  his  clerk,  who  says 
lie  is  yearly  appointed  by  congress  auditor  of  accounts,  with 
three  rations  per  day  for  himself  and  one  for  his  clerk;  and 
that  he  has  not  yet  received  a  dismissal  either  from  congress 
or  the  auditor  general.  I  request  express  directions  respecting 
this  man;  and  if  lie  is  to  be  struck  off,  an  order  to  him  to  de- 
liver all  the  stationery  on  hand;  as  I  am  informed  he  has  a 
pretty  good  stock.  When  this  is  done  there  will  not  be  a  man 
on  the  civil  staff  except  Mr.  Samuel  Sample,  who  has  been  do- 
ing the  duty  of  quartermaster  ever  since  Mr.  [David]  Duncan 
was  put  under  arrest.  As  I  think  there  is  an  indispensable 
necessity  for  some  person  to  act  in  that  department,  I  have 
continued  him  till  further  orders.  I  have  also  struck  off  or 
rather  changed  the  title  of  ten  artificers  and  now  call  thern 
fatigue  men.  Any  person  to  look  at  the  place  and  be  told  that 
a  number  of  artificers  were  employed,  I  believe  they  would 
rather  imagine  they  were  pulling  down  than  building  up  or 
repairing.    Such  a  complete  heap  of  ruins  to  retain  the  name 

and  for  the  present  to  be  arranged  into  two  companies  and  commanded  by- 
Lieutenant  Colonel  [Stephen]  Bayard;  the  different  companies  to  be  com- 
manded by  the  following  officers,  namely:  1st  company  —  Captatn  Clark, 
Lieutenants  Peterson  and  Reed;  2d  company  —  Captain  Brady,  Lieutenant 
Ward  and  Ensign  Morrison. 

"  Lieutenant  Crawford  will  do  duty  of  adjutant  to  the  detachment  and  Lieu- 
tenant Neily  the  duty  of  quartermaster,  until  further  orders.  The  non-com- 
missioned officers,  drummers,  fifer-s  and  privates,  are  to  be  divided  into  two 
companies  as  equally  as  the  case  will  admit  of,  and  Colonel  Bayard  will  make 
the  arrangement  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  Captain  Joseph  Lewis  Finley  doing  the  duty  of  major  of  brigade,  and 
Captain  John  Finley  that  of  deputy  judge  advocate,  will  continue  in  these 
offices  and  remain  at  this  post,  until  further  orders.  All  the  other  officers 
of  the  Pennsylvania  line  will  repair  to  the  regiments  they  are  respectively 
arranged  to  as  soon  as  they  can  with  any  degree  of  convenience.  They  will  leave 
all  accounts  respecting  in  any  manner  the  pay,  clothing  or  retained  rations  of  the 
men,  commissioned  officers  and  privates,  in  the  hands  of  those  officers  hereby 
ordered  to  take  charge  of  them.  The  retiring  officers  will  please  to  call  upon 
the  general  before  their  departure,  who  can  inform  them  of  the  rendezvous  of 
the  different  regiments. 

"  Colonel  Gibson  will  arrange  his  regiment  as  directed  by  a  former  general 
order  and  send  such  officers  into  Virginia  as  he  can  at  present  spare.  He  will 
also  please  to  send  a  trusty  sergeant  of  his  regiment  with  the  Maryland  troops, 


1G0  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

of  a  post,  I  believe  cannot  be  found  in  any  other  place.  The 
stores  are  also  nearly  exhausted.  When  you  see  the  returns 
(which  I  have  directed  the  commissary  of  military  stores  to 
send),  you  will  be  able  to  determine  whether  the  causes  assigned 
for  the  issues  are  proper.  But  as  I  consider  this  does  not  lie 
with  me  to  decide  on,  shall,  for  the  present,  say  no  more  on 
this  subject. 

I  have  written  to  congress  and  the  commander-in-chief,  in 
which  I  have  given  my  opinion  that  Fort  Pitt  is  not  tenable 
and  that  a  redoubt  could  be  built  within  four  miles,  at  Char- 
tiers  Creek,  at  a  less  expense  than  would  repair  this  place; 
that  it  has  many  advantages  as  a  position.  I  have  also  asked 
leave  of  congress  to  go  down  the  country  for  two  months,  and 
mentioned  that  I  could  concert  proper  measures  for  the  de- 
fense of  this  country  better  by  being  present  with  congress, 
the  board  of  war,  or  the  commander-in-chief;  as  there  are 
many  things  which  cannot  be  so  well  committed  to  paper. 

The  contractors  have  not  supplied  the  troops  tolerably  with 
provisions.     I  have  not  been  able  to  get  half  the  things  exe- 

with  directions  to  deliver  them  to  the  executive  of  the  state  they  belong  to, 
with  all  convenient  speed. 

"Such  commissioned  officers  as  think  proper  may  draw  two  rations  per  day 
in  future,  when  the  state  of  the  magazine  will  admit  of  it." 

[II.] 

"  Fort  Pitt,  November  12,  1781. 

"  All  provision  returns  in  future  are  to  be  signed  by  officers  commanding 
corps  and  countersigned  by  the  acting  brigade  inspector,  except  the  command- 
ant's issues  at  out-posts,  and  also  excepting  officers'  messes  in  the  garrison, 
whose  orders  may  be  iss  ued  in  the  first  instance,  but  monthly  digested  into 
rations  by  the  parties  and  contractor,  to  be  finally  certified  by  the  brigade 
inspector  before  they  can  be  deemed  vouchers  for  the  contractor. 

"Officers  commanding  at  out-posts  are  to  be  accountable  for  all  provisions, 
military  stores  and  public  property  of  every  kind;  and  when  relieved,  they  are 
to  deliver  an  inventory  signed  by  themselves  to  the  relieving  officer,  of  every 
article  in  their  charge.  When  they  return  to  this  post,  they  are  to  report  any 
material  occurrence  during  their  command  to  the  general  or  commanding  offi- 
cer, and  also  render  an  account  of  all  stores  expended,  with  the  cause  of  such 
expenditure.  All  officers  returning  from  patroling,  excursions,  or  commands 
of  any  kind,  are  to  make  similar  reports.  The  brigade  inspector  will  direct 
the  issues  for  the  friendly  Indians.  He  will  receive  instructions  from  the  gen- 
eral from  time  to  time,  how  many  arc  to  be  allowed  provisions,  and  also  who 
in  the  staff  department  are  to  draw  rations." 


Appendix  B.  161 

cuted  that  I  intend,  being  frequently  three  or  four  days  with- 
out a  mouthful.  You  will  see  by  my  letter  to  Mr.  Duncan, 
who  does  the  contractor's  [Michael  Iluffnagle's] *  business 
here,  and  his  answer  to  me  of  this  date,  what  the  prospects 
are;2  though  I  fear  he  over-rates  matters,  especially  if  I  am  to 
judge  from  past  promises,  few  which  are  complied  with.  I 
must  here  take  the  liberty  to  report  my  opinion  to  the  board, 
which  is  —  that  if  the  contract  was  even  complied  with  in  the 
fullest  extent,  it  is  not  an  extensive  plan  enough;  as  the  de- 
tachment can  never  amount  to  one  hundred  where  there  are 
only  two  hundred  men.  But  suppose  even  the  militia  called 
out  and  posted  by  twenties  at  ten  different  places,  I  do  not  see 
how  they  are  to  be  fed. 

The  service  here  is  very  different  from  most  other  places. 
The  contract  might  do  at  a  stationary  garrison,  but  this  is  not 
the  case  here,  as  more  than  half  the  men  are  always  on  one 

1  Ante,  p.  81,  note  1. 

2  Neither  of  these  letters  have  been  found.     The  following  throws  some 

light  upon  the  nature  of  the  contract  and  the  difficulties  in  the  wTay  of  its 

fulfillment: 

"  Philadelphia,  20  December,  1781. 

"Sir: — I  having  contracted  with  the  honorable  Robert  Morris,  Esquire, 
financier-general,  for  the  supplying  of  the  post  of  Fort  Pitt  with  provisions, 
I  propose  to  supply  the  militia  and  ranging  company  for  Westmoreland 
county,  the  ration  to  consist  of  the  same  articles  as  for  the  continental  troops, 
and  to  be  paid  for  tit  the  same  rate,  which  is  eleven  pence  half  penny  for 
every  ration,  in  gold  or  silver, —  to  be  delivered  at  Hannastown  and  Ligonier; 
and  twelve  pence  per  ration  at  Rook's  block  house ; —  that  the  lieutenant  or 
oldest  sub-lieutenant  of  the  county  countersigning  the  orders  of  the  officers  to 
be  sufficient  vouchers  for  settlement;  that  the  supreme  executive  council  [of 
Pa.]  will  settle  with  me  every  three  months;  that  if  any  provisions  shall  be 
taken  by  the  enemy,  having  an  escort  which  is  to  be  granted  by  the  lieuten- 
ant upon  proper  application  of  the  contractors,  shall  be  paid  for  as  rations 
issued;  if  any  magazine  shall  be  taken,  to  be  paid  for  in  like  manner,  the 
contractors  having  proper  vouchers  to  produce  for  such  quantity  so  taken ; 
that  the  supreme  executive  council  are  to  advance  me  one  hundred  pounds  in 
gold  or  silver. 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  to  mention  these  proposals  to  council,  as  it  will 
be  easier  for  me  to  supply  them  than  any  other  person,  my  having  the  con- 
tract for  the  continental  troops.     Your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"  Mich.  Huffnagle. 
"The  Honorable  Christopher  Hays,  Esqr.  [member  of  council  from  "West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania]." 
11 


162  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

command  or  other.  I  fear  the  contract  cannot  be  fulfilled 
without  an  ample  supply  of  cash.  ]STot  a  man  in  the  whole 
country  has  credit  for  one  hundred  pounds. 

As  there  were  no  subaltern  officers  here  belonging  to  the 
Pennsylvania  line  except  four  who,  by  mistake,  were  left  out 
of  the  arrangement  last  year,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of 
retaining  them  here  — at  least  till  others  from  the  line  can  be 
ordered  here  in  their  stead,  which  cannot  be  well  done  now 
before  the  spring.  It  is  very  hard  on  these  gentlemen,  as 
they  thought  themselves  continued.  They  are  deserving  men. 
Tf  they  cannot  be  again  re-admitted  into  the  line,  I  would  pro- 
pose that  congress  make  some  such  resolution  as  this  in  their 
favor:  "Whereas,  Lieutenants  Keid,  Peterson,  Neily,  and 
Ensign  Morrison,  officers  in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  were  by 
mistake  left  out  of  the  arrangement  in  October,  1780, —  Re- 
solved, If  they  cannot  be  admitted  again  into  the  line  with 
propriety,  that  they  be  entitled  to  every  emolument  granted 
to  other  retiring  officers  agreeable  to  an  act  of  congress  of  the 
21st  of  October,  1780;  and  if  they  cannot  be  admitted  again 
into  the  line,  that  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line  be  directed  to  relieve  them  as  soon  as  possible  with  other 
officers,  and  that  they  be  entitled  to  full  pay  for  the  time  they 
have  done  or  shall  do  duty."  It  would  I  think  not  only  be 
unjust  but  cruel  not  to  allow  them  some  such  [relief]  as  the 
foregoing.  I  request  the  honorable,  the  board,  will  be  pleased 
to  have  some  steps  taken  respecting  them. 

I  had  no  other  shift  for  a  partial  supply  of  forage  than  to 
order  the  quartermaster  to  barter  a  few  old  cast  horses  and 
other  useless  articles,1  but  this  is  so  small  it  will  not  last  long. 

1  The  order  was  directed  to  the  acting  assistant  quartermaster,  Samuel  Sam- 
ple, at  Fort  Pitt,  and  was  in  these  words : 

"Fort  Pitt,  November  12,  1781. 

"Sir: — You  are  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  dispose  of  all  unneces- 
sary and  cast  horses,  the  property  of  the  United  States,  and  other  articles  be- 
longing to  the  quartermaster's  department  at  this  post  and  its  dependencies 
that  are  unfit  for  service  or  are  likely  to  become  so  by  decay  or  such  as  cannot 
be  repaired  at  small  expense  to  the  public. 

"  Your  articles  of  sale  must  be  either  for  ready  cash  —  specie  —  or  forage, 
equivalent  for  the  sum  agreed  for.     In  the  execution  of  this  business,  I  make 


Appendix  B.  1G3 

Wood  and  coal  are  much  more  difficult  to  be  had  here  than  is 
generally  imagined.  It  takes  three  teams  kept  very  busy  to 
supply  these  articles. 

In  1780,  it  was  ordered  by  congress  that  General  Washing- 
ton should  employ  such  a  number  of  express  riders  and  post 
them  at  such  places  as  he  thought  proper.  He  directed  one  to 
remain  here,  but  I  cannot  find  that  there  ever  was  any  such  a 
person;  if  there  was,  he  was  kept  in  the  quartermaster's  em- 
ploy and  not  under  the  direction  of  the  commanding  officer. 
However,  there  is  no  doing  without  one.  I  have  been  obliged, 
in  this  instance,  to  send  a  soldier  and  find  him  with  money  to 
bear  his  expenses.  I  hope  you  will  direct  Colonel  [Samuel] 
Miles  [deputy  quartermaster]  to  refund  that,  and  give  the  man 
as  much  as  will  bring  him  back.  I  beg  also  you  will  give 
orders  for  establishing  one  here. 

I  have  also  enclosed  a  return  of  the  troops  and  of  the  military 
stores. 


III. —  Irvine  to  the  Board  of  War. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  13, 1781. 
Gentlemen: — This  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Ensign  Tanne- 
hill,  paymaster  of  the  7th  Virginia  regiment,  who  (as  there  is 
no  deputy  paymaster  here)  carries  the  muster  and  pay  rolls  of 
his  own  regiment  and  also  of  the  Pennsylvania  detachment, 
the  officers  of  which  wish  him  to  receive  their  pay.  The 
officers  in  the  first  instance  agree  to  defray  Mr.  Tannehill's 
expenses,  but  hope  the  honorable,  the  board,  will  allow  him 
reasonable  expenses,  as  the  rest  of  the  army  receive  their 
pay  clear.  I  know  it  may  be  answered  that  if  they  had  pa- 
tience they  would  be  done  so  by,  too.  But  their  necessities 
are  extreme.     Few  officers  are  able  to  do  duty  for  want  of 

no  doubt  you  will  do  your  utmost  for  the  good  of  the  public.     Indeed,  great 
economy  is  necessary  in  every  department. 

"  The  amount  of  these  sales  must  be  appropriated  for  procuring  forage  in- 
dispensably necessary  for  the  support  of  the  garrison.  This  information  I 
think  proper  to  give  you  that  you  may  arrange  matters  accordingly.  I  am, 
sir,  your  obedient,  humble  servant. 

"  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l." 


10 If,  Washington-Irvine   Correspondence. 

clothing.  When  there  was  a  paymaster  and  remnant  of  paper 
money  in  his  hands,  it  was  of  no  use,  as  no  kind  of  paper 
currency  passed  in  this  part  of  the  country  for  many  months 
past;  so  that  the  depreciation  the  Pennsylvania  troops  received 
has  been  of  no  valne  to  them;  and  the  Virginia  regiment 
never  received  any.  In  short,  they  conceive  themselves  totally 
neglected,  and  that  the  main  army  wants  for  nothing;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  are  firmly  of  opinion  they  live  in  the  greatest 
luxury.  As  for  the  soldiery,  the  enclosed  petty  piece  will 
show  what  disposition  they  are  in,  which  was  some  time  after 
my  arrival  taken  off  the  fort  gate.1  I  have  made  strict  inquiry 
for  the  author,  but  without  effect.  I  apprehended  this  dispo- 
sition has  been  encouraged  by  part  of  Colonel  Rawlings'  regi- 
ment being  detained  here  long  after  orders  had  arrived  for 
their  being  sent  off  to  Annapolis.  They  were  not  sent  at  all, 
but  broke  off,  marched  down  in  a  body  to  the  governor,  who, 
it  is  said,  received  them  kindly,  without  even  a  rebuke;  which, 
under  their  circumstances,  was  probably  right,  as  they  were 
doubtless  in  a  most  miserable  situation;,  the  cause  of  which 
should,  in  my  opinion,  be  enquired  into,  as  the  tendency  and 
evil  effects  are  evident.  For  whether  they  were  received  or 
not  in  the  manner  above,  the  report  among  the  troops  here  is 
so,  and  they  believe  it.2 

I  need  not  urge  the  necessity  there  is  for  at  least  some 
months'  pay  being  sent  to  the  troops  here,  as  your  honorable 
board  must  be  well  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  the  whole 
army  being  on  the  same  footing  as  near  as  possible.  Indeed, 
if  practicable,  those  here  should  be  relieved,  particularly  the 
Pennsylvanians;  as  they  are  only  a  detachment.  I  wish 
Colonel  Gibson's  regiment  could  be  filled  up  and  another  sent. 

'This  " petty  piece  "  not  found. 

8  "The  Maryland  corps  [part  of  Rawlings'  regiment]  is  at  present  stationed 
upon  the  frontier  of  Westmoreland,  but  it  appears  by  recent  information,  that 
they  are  determined  to  march  to  Maryland  to  apply  for  clothing,  of  which 
they  are  quite  destitute."—  Col.  Daniel  Brodhead  to  Pres't  Reed,  from  Fort 
Pitt,  Aug.  23,  1781. 

"The  Marylanders  have  in  a  body  deserted  from  their  posts  on  the  frontier 
of  Westmoreland  county  and  marched  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountains." — 
Same  to  same,  August  29,  1781. 


Appendix  B.  1GG 

to  relieve  the  Pennsylvania  detachment  in  the  spring.  They 
never  will  be  good  for  much,  as  long  as  they  remain  here. 
As  for  Colonel  Gibson,  I  think  he  should  continue  as  long 
as  troops  are  kept  in  the  district.  JSTo  man  knows  this  coun- 
try better,  nor  any  man,  I  believe,  the  Indian  country  so  well. 


IV. —  Irvine  to  the  Board  of  War. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  14,  1781. 

Gentlemen: — Since  I  closed  my  letter  of  yesterday,  Mr. 
Duncan,  one  of  the  contractors,  has  been  with  me,  and  reports 
that  he  has  been  deceived  and  disappointed  by  several  persons, 
who  engaged  to  procure  flour  for  him;  that  he  has  not  now  an. 
ounce  on  hand;  and.  that  as  the  river  will  in  all  probability 
freeze  this  night,  the  transportation  of  about  six  thousand 
weight  he  has  at  Redstone  [now  Brownsville,  Pa.]  will  be 
impracticable; — that  if  Mr.  Huffnagle,  the  principal  con- 
tractor, does  not  soon  come  up,  or  send  an  immediate  supply 
of  cash,  he  will  not  be  able  to  go  on  with  the  business,  even 
for  the  time  he  promised  in  his  letter  to  me  on  the  subject,  a 
copy  of  which  I  enclosed  to  you  the  2d  instant.  I  am  obliged 
to  give  entire  credit  to  his  report.  Colonel  Gibson's  and  my 
private  credit  hath  already  procured  a  considerable  quantity 
of  flour  for  them.  We  borrowed  about  enough  this  morning 
for  three  days,  which  is  the  last  I  know  of  can  be  obtained  in 
the  same  way. 

I  am  sorry  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  giving  your  honor- 
able board  so  much  trouble  in  a  business  which  you  had 
reason  to  think  you  had  now  done  with.  Yet  I  think  it 
incumbent  on  me  to  give  you  the  earliest  and  best  accounts  in 
my  power,  that  you  may  not  be  unapprised  of  what  is  too 
likely  to  be  the  consequence.  I  really  fear  the  few  troops 
that  are  here  must  disband;  and  I  would  not  feel  so  unhappy 
under  this  apprehension  if  I  foresaw  a  possibility  of  saving 
the  stores, —  by  saving  them  I  mean  a  mode  of  conveying 
them  into  a  more  interior  part  of  the  country.  Perhaps  mat- 
ters may  take  a  more  favorable  turn  than  I  imagine.  I  can 
only  promise  that  every  exertion  and  expedient  in  my  power 
shall  be  made  use  of. 


100  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


Y. —  Major  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  *  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  Philadelphia,  December  21,  1781. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  considered  the  several  matters  contained 
in  your  letter  of  December  3,  and  return  you  my  thanks  for 
the  different  arrangements  you  have  made  at  your  post,  all 
which  I  entirely  approve  of.  With  regard  to  Mr.  Fowler,  the 
auditor  of  accounts,  I  cannot  see  the  least  necessity  for  his 
services  and  shall  therefore  send  him  the  order  you  desire. 
The  commander-in-chief  will  write  you  on  the  subject  of  re- 
moving your  post  or  not,  that  business  having  been  referred 
to  him  by  congress.  I  am  sorry  to  observe  that  any  difficulties 
have  arisen  in  supplying  you  with  provision.  I  have  con- 
sulted Mr.  [Itobert]  Morris  [superintendent  of  finance]  on  the 
subject  and  he  has  promised  that  it  shall  be  remedied  and  that 
a  supply  of  cash  shall  be  sent  on  to  you. 

With  respect  to  the  four  Pennsylvania  officers,  it  gives  me 
pain  that  any  deserving  officers  should  be  excluded  from  the 
service,  but  I  see  no  possibility  of  their  being  again  admitted 
into  the  line,  as  you  must  know  the  state  has  already  a  pro- 
portion of  officers  double  to  that  of  the  troops;  nor  do  I  see 
the  necessity  of  a  special  resolution  in  their  favor.  They 
must  naturally  fall  in  with  the  rest  of  the  supernumerary  of- 
ficers. I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be  entitled  to 
every  emolument  allowed  them  as  well  as  to  full  pay  for  the 
whole  time  they  may  remain  in  actual  service.  I  will  give 
the  necessary  orders  for  their  being  relieved  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

When  Mr.  Morris  shall  have  sent  you  the  money,  every  dif- 
ficulty with  respect  to  forage  will  be  obviated.  It  has  been 
thought  proper  to  abolish  all  stationary  express  riders;  if, 
therefore,  you  have  occasion  for  one,  you  must  procure  a  man 
and  furnish  him  with  money  out  of  the  supply  which  will  be 
sent  you. 

1  Secretary  at  war. 


Appendix  B.  167 


VI. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Wae  Office,  December  26,  1781. 

Dear  General: — I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  the  orders  regulat- 
ing the  issues  of  provision  at  the  several  posts  supplied  by 
contract. 

You  will  please  to  observe  that  after  the  1st  of  January,  the 
officers  are  not  to  draw  any  rations,  but  are  to  pay  for  such 
articles  as  they  draw  from  the  contractors  at  the  same  rates  as 
the  troops  are  supplied;  and  to  enable  them  to  do  this,  they 
will  be  paid  their  subsistence  money.  However,  as  the  officers 
are  not  yet  furnished  with  the  money,  they  must  settle  their 
accounts  with  the  contractors  at  the  end  of  the  month  and 
pass  proper  receipts,  to  entitle  them  to  receive  pay  from  Mr. 
Morris. 

Mr.  Michael  Huffnagle,  the  contractor  for  your  post,  will 
deliver  you  this  and  will  also  deliver  you  one  hundred  printed 
victualing  returns. 

1  would  wish  to  furnish  you  with  a  copy  of  the  contract,  but 
really  a  multiplicity  of  business  prevents  it.  I  must  therefore 
take  the  liberty  of  referring  you  to  Mr.  Huffnagle  for  a  copy, 
and  must  also  refer  him  to  you  for  a  copy  of  the  kiclosed 
orders.  

"VII. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  January  [1782]. 1 
Sir: — I  have  before  me  your  letter  of  the  13th  ultimo  men- 
tioning the  great  necessity  the  officers  at  Fort  Pitt  are  in  for 
want  of  money  and  clothing. 

It  is  a  distressing  circumstance  that  it  is  not  now  in  the 
power  of  the  United  States  to  pay  the  army;  but  it  is  as  true 
as  it  is  unfortunate.  "We  have,  however,  better  times  in  view. 
The  states  are  doing  every  thing  in  their  power  to  make  the 
situation  of  the  army  easy.  Matters  are  reducing  to  a  system. 
All  partial  payments  are  at  an  end,  and  the  financier  hopes 
before  long  to  make  a  payment  to   the  whole  army.     In  the 

1  The  date,  except  the  month,  is  torn  off  the  original. 


168  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

meantime  it  becomes  the  duty  of  every  officer  to  study  con- 
tentment himself  and  endeavor  to  cultivate  the  same  temper 
among  the  soldiery;  for  unless  this  is  done,  we  may  in  this 
last  stage  of  the  war,  when  every  thing  wears  the  face  of  suc- 
cess, do  an  act  which  will  render  every  exertion  ineffectual. 

The  soldiers  will  be  fully  clothed;  and  this  should  quiet 
them  for  a  little  time.  Some  clothing  will  also  be  sent  up  for 
the  officers  sufficient  to  furnish  each  with  a  suit,  for  which 
they  will  be  charged,  and  they  may  be  assured  that  in  future 
the  smallest  and  most  distant  post  occupied  by  the  United 
States  will  have  the  same  attention  paid  them  as  the  rest  of 
the  army.  

VIII. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Carlisle,  March  17,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  will  set  out  from  this  place  for  Fort  Pitt  to-morrow 
morning.  As  I  had  the  commander-in-chief's  orders  to  pay 
some  attention  to  the  recruits  and  troops  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line  at  this  post,  beg  to  inform  you  that  they  are  without 
clothing  and  arms.  The  clothing  I  believe  is  preparing  for 
them;  but  to  tit  them  for  marching,  I  think  arms  and  accou- 
trements should  be  immediately  sent  on  here.  However,  as 
this  is  only  a  matter  of  opinion,  I  submit  it  to  you.  I  believe 
the  general  intends  they  shall  march  under  Colonel  Pichard 
Butler,  to  join  the  southern  army,  except  a  proportion  of  the 
recruits  [who  are  to  march]  to  Fort  Pitt.  I  have  written  on 
this  subject  to  his  excellency  by  his  command.1 

P.  S. —  The  numbers,  when  all  are  collected,  will  I  think 
amount  to  about  three  hundred  rank  and  tile. 


IX. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  30,  1782. 
Sir: — I  wrote  you  some  days  since  by  a  certain   Montour, 
captain  of  Delaware  Indians;2  I  did  not  like  to  explain  by  him 
my  reasons  for  sending  him. 

1  See  Irvine  to  Washington,  March  17, 1782,  ante,  page  9G. 

8  The  letter  of  Irvine  has  not  been  found.     The  "John  Montour"  he  speaks 


Appendix  B.  169 

He  seemed  anxious  to  be  either  employed1  or  to  go  with  his 
wife  into  the  Indian  country  for  a  place  of  safety,  as  he  termed 
it.  The  fact  is  I  was  suspicious  of  his  fidelity;  but  he  is  eo 
cunning  that  no  hold  could  be  laid  on  him.  This,  however,  is 
the  worst  place  he  could  possibly  be  in,  if  he  meant  to  go  off, 
being  perfectly  acquainted  with  all  the  Indian  country  and  at 
Detroit.  lie  was  in  the  British  interest  and  service  before  he 
joined  us.  I  suppose  the  best  way  to  manage  him  will  be  to 
amuse  him  with  expectation  of  being  employed  in  service; 
or,  perhaps,  he  might  render  service  joined  with  the  Oneidas. 
You  will  be  better  able  to  judge  how  he  should  be  disposed 
of,  when  you  see  and  converse  with  him.  It  must  have  been 
very  ill-judged  to  give  such  fellow  a  commission.2 

of  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Montour,  a  half-blood  Indian,  and  a  man  of  infor- 
mation and  education,  but  a  great  savage.  His  father,  whose  Indian  name  was 
Sattelihu,  was  the  oldest  son  of  Madame  Montour,  a  French-Canadian  woman, 
and  Robert  Hunter,  an  Oneida  chief.  Andrew  was  a  captain  of  a  company 
of  Indians  in  the  English  service  in  the  Old  French  War,  and  rose  to  be  a 
major.     John  had  a  captain's  commission  at  date  of  the  above  letter. 

1  The  following  will  give  an  idea  how  he  desired  to  be  employed: 

"  To  the  most  excellent  James  [William]  Irvine,  brigadier  general  com- 
manding the  western  department  and  Fort  Pitt,  etc.: 

"  The  petition  of  us,  the  subscribers,  humbly  showeth  to  your  excellency 
that  we  want  revenge  upon  the  savages  for  the  injury  they  have  done  unto 
our  brother  soldiers  here  of  late;  and  if  your  excellency  will  grant  us,  your 
petitioners,  privilege  to  go  into  the  Indian  country,  we  shall  endeavor  to 
acquire  as  many  scalps  from  our  enemy  and  make  such  discoveries  as  can  be 
made;  which  we  think  we  are  capable  of  going  through  with.  Now,  through 
your  excellency's  grace  and  usual  goodness,  we  hope  to  have  our  request 
granted. 

"Pittsburgh,  April  13,  1782.  [Signed.]  John  Montour,  captain.  Lewis 
Williams,  James  Clarke,  William  Warton,  Joseph  Coleman,  John  Gladwin, — 
soldiers  belonging  to  the  Pennsylvania  line.  N.  B. —  To  be  supplied  with 
ammunition  sufficient." 

8  The  following  is  the  order  issued  by  Irvine  to  Montour,  sending  him  to  the 
secretary  at  war : 

"  Sir: — The  desire  you  express  to  serve  with  the  northern  army,  and  other 
reasons,  induce  me  to  grant  your  request.  You  will,  therefore,  proceed  to 
Philadelphia  with  all  possible  dispatch,  where  you  will  wait  on  the  secretary 
at  war  for  orders.     Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  April  16,  1782. 

"Wm.  Ikvine,  B.  Gen'l." 


170  "Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


X. —  Invixi;  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  2,  1782. 
Sir: — I  do  myself  the  honor  to  inclose  you  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Wuibert's  report  to  me  of  the  situation  and  circum- 
stances of  this  post,  the  ground,  houses  around  it,  etc.,  in 
whi  ch  he  has  not  discovered  any  thing  but  what  I  was  before 
well  acquainted  with.1  The  officer  who  preceded  me  in  com- 
mand had  great  contention  respecting  his  occupying  some 
houses,  particularly  Major  Ward's,"  who  brought  a  civil  action 
against  him,  and  several  others  brought  tedious  suits.2     This 


-I  believe  no  person  has  obtained  a  legal  right  for  the 
orchard.  It  is  part  of  what  is  called  a  proprietary  manor,  the 
property  of  Mr.  Penn.  But  when  Lord  Dunmore  took  into 
his  head  to  extend  Virginia  to  this  place,  Ward  and  others 
might  probably  have  obtained  grants  from  him.  As  it  is  now 
well  known  to  be  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  I  suppose  his 
grants  are  not  worth  a  farthing.  Pe  this  as  it  may,  I  have  no 
right  to  determine  anything  respecting  the  claimants  of  pri- 
vate property,  as  twenty  others  claim  it  as  well  as  Ward. 

'This  report  has  not  been  found.  As  to  its  author,  see  p.  34;  also, 
Appendix  M,  —  Wuibert  to  Irvine,  no  date. 

-  Major  Edward  Ward  was  the  person  spoken  of.  He  was  a  half  brother  of 
Colonel  George  Croghan,  and  an  old  resident  of  Pittsburgh.  The  officer  re- 
ferred to  by  Irvine  as  his  (Frvine's)  predecessor  who  had  "  great  contention  " 
with  Ward,  was  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead.  The  following  extract  from  a 
letter  written  by  the  latter,  dated  at  Fort  Pitt,  October  28,  17jT,  throws  light 
upon  these  li contentions:" 

"  On  the  '27th  of  June,  1779,  I  did  myself  the  honor  to  address  a  letter  to 
the  honorable  board  of  war,  respecting  the  range  of  this  and  neighboring 
garrisons;  and,  on  the  23d  of  July  following,  the  United  States,  in  congress 
assembled,  passed  an  act  regulating  tin.1  manner  of  taking  it,  and  satisfying 
th  ■  p  rsons  interested,  etc. 

"Previous  to  my  receiving  this  act  of  congress,  I  was  honored  with  two 
letters  from  the  board  of  war,  directing  me  to  act,  in  this  case,  according  to 
custom  ami  usage.  In  consequence,  1  ordered  some  of  the  troops  to  ]»■  posted 
in  a  house  occupi  d  by  Messrs.  [Edward]  Ward  and  [Thomas]  Smallman,  ami 
for  so  doing,  process  from  tin.'  court  of  Fohogania  [county,  Va.;  which  court 
and  county  afterward  became  <  stinct]  was  immediately  issued  against  me. 

"On  the  27th  of  February,  1780, 1  informed  the  honorable  board  of  war  by 


Appendix  B.  171 

same  Ward  claims  what  was  formerly  called  the  King's  Or- 
chard, which  lies  immediately  adjoining  and  encircles  three 
bastions  of  the  fort.  This  I  have  enclosed  with  a  slight  fence 
and  use  it  as  a  pasture  for  the  public  and  officers'  horses. 
This  man  is  teasing  me  to  promise  him  a  certain  rent,  which 
I  can  not  with  propriety  do.1 

letter,  of  the  proceedings  of  that  court;  and,  on  the  18th  of  April  following, 
congress  passed  an  act  declaratory  of  the  intention  of  that  honorable  body  to 
support  me  in  the  execution  of  my  duty  at  this  post.  This  last  act  was  shown 
to  the  court  of  Yohogania,  and  I  expected  their  proceedings  would  close 
against  me.  But  I  have  since  seen  their  record,  whereby  it  appears  that  they 
proceeded  to  judgment,  and  awarded  damages,  etc.,  but  no  writ  of  outlawry 
has  been  issued,  although  I  did  persevere  to  deny  their  jurisdiction. 

"  The  court  of  Westmoreland  has  now  taken  up  this  matter,  and  many 
actions  are  commenced  against  me  for  trespasses,  etc.,  for  having  presumed  to 
act  agreeable  to  my  instructions  and  my  conscience,  because  the  legislature 
of  Pennsylvania  has  not,  in  compliance  with  the  act  of  congress,  passed  a 
law  in  favor,  or  agreeable  to  their  recommendation:  and  lately  an  inquisition 
was  held,  to  turn  me  out  of  my  quarters,  on  a  suggestion  of  a  forcible  entry 
and  detainer,  whereby  I  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  attending  Hannas- 
town  court;  and  otherwise  considerable  expenses  have  accrued  and  costs  have 
been  awarded." 

1  From  the  following  certificates,  it  seems  that  Ward  was  desirous  to  save 
all  his  legal  rights,  whatever  they  might  be,  and  that  Irvine  was  disposed  to 
gratify  him  in  that  particular : 

"This  is  to  certify  whom  it  may  concern  that  about  thirty-four  acres  of 
ground  adjoining  Fort  Pitt,  formerly  called  the  King's  Orchard  and  Gardens,  are 
occupied  and  inclosed  for  the  use  of  the  garrison;  and  that  I  prevented  Major 
Edward  Ward  and  other  claimants  from  erecting  buildings  or  making  any 
kind  of  improvements  thereon.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  August 
3,  1782.  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l." 

[II.] 

"Fort  Pitt,  June  9,  1783. 

"I  do  certify  that  the  orchard  and  gardens  formerly  called  the  King's,  con- 
taining about  forty  acres  and  one  hundred  apple  trees,  have  been  enclosed  and 
occupied  for  public  use  during  my  command  at  this  post ;  and  that  I  prevented 
Major  Ward  and  others,  who  lay  claims  to  it  as  private  property,  from  erect- 
ing buildings  or  making  any  kind  of  improvements  the: eon,  namely:  from 
November,  1781,  to  this  date.  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l." 

In  1777,  Ward's  deposition  was  taken  at  Pittsburgh,  a  part  of  which  was 
in  these  words:  "The  deponent  further  saith  that  upon  the  evacuation  of 
Fort  Duquesne,  by  the  French,  on  the  approach  of  the  British  army,  General 
Forbes,  by  one  of  the  deputy  agents  of  Indian  affairs,  made  request  to  the 


178  Wo wh i 'nyton-Irvine  Correspondence. 

As  to  the  houses,  I  have  not  yet  pulled  any  of  them  down, 
but  moan  in  case  of  any  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  an 
enemy  to  set  fire  to  them.  Ward's  is  an  old  wooden  building, 
which  was  formerly  a  redoubt,  but  has  been  carried  from  the 
place  it  formerly  stood  on,  and  now  built  house-fashion.  It  is 
not  worth  much  though  he  sets  a  high  value  on  it.  Irwin's 
house  was  also  a  redoubt,  but  it  is  now  environed  by  the  other 
houses  of  the  town  of  Pittsburgh.  It  is  certain  that  if  it  is 
meant  to  occupy  this  place  any  length  of  time  (as  would  ap- 
pear the  intention  by  the  commander-in-chief  and  your  orders 
to  me),  that  these  houses  and  several  other  obstructions  should 
be  instantly  removed.  In  case  of  emergency,  I  will  not  hesi- 
tate a  moment  to  do  it,  but  these  people  think  it  hard  to 
have  it  done  as  long  as  they  are  not  apprehensive  of  dan- 
ger. I  assure  you,  sir,  this  is  a  very  troublesome  com- 
mand, sufficiently  so  without  being  obliged  to  quarrel  with 
the  inhabitants.  I  could  wish  you  would  take  these  points 
into  consideration  and  instruct  me  respecting  them. 

If  any  troops  should  be  sent  to  this  quarter  or  any  excursion 
made,  some  few  tents,  at  least  bell  tents,  would  be  necessary. 
I  did  not  make  any  demand  of  this  article  from  the  quarter- 
master general,  as  I  at  that  time  thought  them  unnecessary 
for  garrison  duty.  The  few  troops  here  are  the  most  licen- 
tious men  and  worst  behaved  I  ever  saw,  owing,  I  presume,  in 
a  great  measure,  to  their  not  being  hitherto  kept  under  any 
subordination,  or  tolerable  degree  of  discipline.  I  will  try 
what  effect  a  few  prompt  and  exemplary  punishments  will 
have.  Two  are  now  under  sentence  and  shall  be  executed  to- 
morrow.1 They  not  only  disobeyed  their  officer  (who  corn- 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  for  permission  to  re-establish  a  fort  at  the  same 
place,  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  and  to  prevent  the  French  from  returning, 
which  was  granted.  A  fort  was  built  and  garrisoned  [Fort  Pitt],  which  con- 
tinued in  possession  of  the  British  troops  till  the  year  1772,  when  it  was  evac- 
uated by  them  and  taken  possession  of  by  deponent,  who  occupied  the  same 
till  taken  possession  of  by  Captain  John  Conolly,  in  1774,  with  the  Virginia 
militia." 

1  John  Phillips  and  Thomas  Steed.     The  former,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
pardoned  by  Irvine. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  Masonic  Fraternity  in  the  West,  and  to 


Appendix  B.  173 

mantled  at  Fort  Mcintosh),  but  actually  struck  him,  and  it  is 
supposed  would  have  killed  him,  had  he  not  been  rescued  by 
two  other  soldiers. 


XL  —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Was  Office,  Maxj  15,  1782. 

gir: — I  have  been  honored  with  your  letters  of  the  30th 
ultimo  and  of  the  2d  and  3d  instant.  I  am  fully  in  opinion 
with  you  that  no  promise  of  rent  could  be  made  under  the 
present  state  of  the  title  to  the  orchard,  so  called.  Nor  do  I 
think  you  should  hesitate  one  moment  whenever  it  becomes 
expedient  to  take  down  the  old  buildings.  Should  a  move- 
ment in  your  quarter  be  thought  on,  every  necessary  will  be 
forwarded.  Prompt  and  exemplary  punishment  will,  I  am 
persuaded,  soon  restore  that  discipline  which  ill-timed  lenity 
ever  subverts. 

As  the  officers  you  mention  have  long  since  been  deranged ' 
and  have  for  some  time  past  quitted  actual  service,  it  would  be 
best  they  should  settle  all  their  accounts  with  the  public  at  the 
same  time.  I  dare  not  assure  them  that  money  can  be  ad- 
vanced, but  I  will  endeavor  that  on  a  settlement  equal  justice 
shall  be  done  them  with  other  officers  in  similar  circum- 
stances. 

Congress  bavins:  determined  to  reduce  the  number  of  offi- 
cers  to  the  absolute  necessities  of  service,  Mr.  Farrell,  deputy 
conductor  of  military  stores  at  your  post,  can  no  longer  be 

show  that  Irvine  was  disposed  to  treat  kindly  the  soldiers  who  behaved  well,  it 
may  be  mentioned  that  on  the  15th  of  the  previous  month,  the  following  of- 
ficers under  his  command  sent  Gen.  Irvine  a  petition,  which  was  granted, 
asking  the  privilege  of  secretly  meeting  together  as  a  most  ancient  society,  the 
first  and  third  Monday  evenings  in  every  month,  except  on  occasions  of 
emergency:  J.  H.  Lee,  sergeant  major,  Pa.  detachment;  Thomas  Wood, 
sergeant  major,  7th  Virginia  regiment;  Simon  Fletcher,  quartermaster's  ser- 
geant, Pa.  detachment;  William  Semple,  sergeant;  John  Harris,  corporal; 
Matthew  Fout,  sergeant;  Michael  Hanley;  Matthew  McAfee,  corporal;  John 
Hutchison;  Martin  Sheridan;  John  Kean;  J.  Williams,  sergeant  7th  Va. 
regiment. 

1  The  writer's  meaning  is,  that  they  did  not  come  in  under  a  certain  new 
arrangement. 


17. 'f.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

retained  in  service.  You  will  please,  upon  the  receipt  of  this 
letter,  to  inform  him  thereof  and  desire  him  to  prepare  the 
whole  of  his  accounts  for  settlement. 

Yon  will  please  to  direct  the  commanding  officer  of  your 
artillery  '  to  take  charge  of  all  the  military  stores,  which  is  cer- 
tainly a  part  of  his  duty.  Such  assistance  as  he  may  want 
must  be  afforded  by  some  of  the  other  officers,  of  whom  I 
observe  there  is  a  great  proportion  to  the  number  of  men  at 
the  post. 

XII. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  May  30,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — It  seems  to  be  the  wish  of  congress  that  the 
Indians  mentioned  in  your  letter  to  General  "Washington,2  an 
extract  of  which  has  been  laid  before  them,3  should  be  kept  at 
Fort  Pitt;  as  they  can  there  be  supplied  as  cheap  as  any  where 
else,  unless  they  reside  within  the  limits  of  some  contract. 
They  also  wish  that  the  soldiers  might  be  employed  in  assist- 
ing to  build  huts  for  the  Indians.  If  huts  cannot  be  built, 
and  the  state  of  the  garrison  is  such  that  they  cannot  be  kept 
longer  under  cover  of  it,  I  wish  to  have  your  opinion  how  they 
can  be  removed; — to  know  their  number,  ages,  sex,  and  ability 
to  travel;  whether  they  can  travel  without  wagons;  if  not, 
where  they  can  be  obtained,  what  number  will  be  necessary, 
and  how  a  guard  can  be  furnished.  On  your  report  will  rest 
the  final  determination  of  this  matter. 


XIII. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  1,  17S2. 

Dear  Sir:  —  My  letter  of  the  lGth  of  June  informed  yon 

of  the  defeat  of  a  body  of  volunteer  militia  who  went  against 

Sandusky  [under    Col.   Wm.   Crawford].     That  disaster    has 

not  abated  the  ardor  or  desire  for  revenge  (as  they   term  it)  of 

1  Major  Isaac  Craig. 

!  See  Irvine  to  Washington,  20  April,  1782,  ante,  pp.  104-106. 

'That  is,  before  congress. 


Appendix  B.  175 

these  people.  A  number  of  the  most  respectable  are  urging 
me  strenuously  to  take  command  of  them,  and  add  as  many 
continental  officers  and  soldiers  as  can  be  spared;  particularly 
the  former,  as  they  attribute  the  defeat  to  the  want  of  experi- 
ence in  their  officers.  They  cannot,  nor  will  not,  rest  under 
any  plan  on  the  defensive,  however  well  executed;  and  think 
their  only  safety  depends  on  the  total  destruction  of  all  the 
Indian  settlements  within  two  hundred  miles;  this,  it  is  true, 
they  are  taught  by  dear-bought  experience. 

They  propose  to  raise  by  subscription,  six  or  seven  hundred 
men — provision  for  them  for  forty  days,  and  horses  to  carry 
it,  clear  of  expense  to  the  public,  unless  government,  at  its 
own  time,  shall  think  proper  to  reimburse  them.  The  1st  of 
August  is  the  time  they  talk  of  assembling,  if  I  think  proper 
to  encourage  them.  I  am,  by  no  means,  fond  of  such  com- 
mands, nor  am  I  sanguine  in  my  expectations;  but  rather 
doubtful  of  the  consequences; — and  yet  absolutely  to  refuse 
having  anything  to  do  with  them,  when  their  proposals  are  so 
generous  and  seemingly  spirited,  I  conceive  would  not  do  well 
either;  especially,  as  people  generally,  particularly  in  this 
quarter,  are  subject  to  be  clamorous,  and  charge  continental 
officers  with  want  of  zeal,  activity,  and  inclination  of  doing 
the  needful  for  their  protection. 

I  have  declined  giving  them  an  immediate,  direct  answer, 
and  have  informed  them  that  my  going  depends  on  circum- 
stances; and,  in  the  meantime,  I  have  called  for  returns  of 
men  who  may  be  depended  on  to  go,  the  subscription  of  pro- 
visions, and  horses.  The  distance  to  headquarters  is  so  great 
that  it  is  uncertain  whether  an  express  could  return  in  time 
with  the  commander-in-chief's  instructions.  As  you  must 
know  whether  any  movements  will  take  place  in  this  quarter, — 
or  if  you  are  of  the  opinion  it  would,  on  any  account,  be 
improper  for  me  to  leave  the  post,  I  request  you  would  write 
me  by  express.  But,  if  no  answer  arrives  before,  or  about  the 
1st  of  August,  I  will  take  for  granted  you  have  no  objection, 
and  that  I  may  act  discretionally. 

Should  it  be  judged  expedient  for  me  to  go,  the  greatest 
number  of  regular  troops  fit  to  march   will  not  exceed  one 


176  lYas/iington-Irvine  Con'esjjondence. 

hundred.  The  militia  are  pressing  that  I  shall  take  all  the 
continentals  along  and  leave  the  defense  of  the  post  to  them; 
but  this  I  shall  by  no  means  do.  If  circumstances  seem  to 
require  it,  I  shall  throw  in  a  few  militia  with  the  regulars 
left  — but  under  continental  officers. 

p.  g. —  The  sooner  I  am  favored  with  your  ideas  on  the  sub- 
ject the  better,  particularly  if  you  have  objections  to  the  plan; 
as,  in  that  case,  I  would  not  give  the  people  the  trouble  to 
assemble. 

XIV. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  July  10,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  been  honored  with  your  favor  of  the 
21st  of  May  and  10th  of  June.  There  are  no  resolves  of  con- 
gress relative  to  your  post.  Should  there  be  any  or  such  as 
your  troops  are  interested  in,  I  will  forward  them. 

I  would  send  for  your  amusement  some  resolves,  but  my  as- 
sistant and  secretary  are  both  sick  and  absent  from  office. 


XV. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  16,  1782. 
Sir: — This  moment  I  have  received  an  account  that  llan- 
nastown,1  the  county  town   of  Westmoreland,  was  burned  last 

1  "  By  provision  of  the  act  [erecting  the  county  of  Westmoreland]  the 
courts  were  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Robert  Hanna  till  a  court  house  should 
be  built.  Hanna's  settlement  was  on  the  old  Forbes  road,  about  thirty  miles 
east  of  Pittsburgh,  and  about  three  miles  northeast  of  the  present  county 
town,  Oreensburg.  Robert  Hanna,  a  north-county  Irishman,  had  early  opened 
a  public  house  here,  and  near  him  had  soon  been  commenced  a  settlement 
prosperous  for  those  times.  If  we  except  the  region  immediately  contiguous 
to  Fort  Ligonier,  and  the  region  about  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  [Pittsburgh],  the 
settlement  about  Hanna's  was,  at  this  date  [177:!],  the  most  flourishing  in 
the  county.  After  the  courts  had  been  appointed  for  here,  the  place  was 
further  Btimulated.  It  was  the  first  collection  of  houses  between  Bedford  and 
Pittsburgh  dignified  with  the  name  of  town.  It,  at  no  time,  contained  more 
than  perhaps  thirty  log  cabins,  built  after  the  primitive  fashion  of  those  days, 
of  one  story  and  a  cock-loft,  in  height,  with  clap-board  roofs,  and  a  huge  mud 
chimney  at  one  end  of  each  cabin.    These,  scattered  along  the  narrow  pack- 


Appendix  B.  177 

Saturday  afternoon  by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  some  say  three 
hundred,  others  only  one,  with  some  mounted.'  That  place  is 
about  thirty-five  miles  in  the  rear  of  Fort  Pitt,  on  the  main 
road  leading  to  Philadelphia,  generally  called  the  Pennsyl- 
vania [Forbes]  road.  The  Virginia  [Brad clock's]  road  is  yet 
open,  but  how  long  it  will  continue  so  is  uncertain,  as  this 
stroke  has  alarmed  the  whole  country  beyond  conception. 
Should  the  country  be  evacuated  on  the  south  side  of  me,  I 
know  not  what  the  consequence  will  be,  having  no  magazine 
of  provision,  indeed  barely  supplied  from  day  to  day.  I  can- 
not at  present  write  more  particularly,  as  I  am  not  yet  certain 
whether  the  enemy  are  not  in  force  in  the  neighborhood.  I 
have  sundry  reconnoitering  parties  out,  but  the  bearer,  a  Mr. 
Elliott,  who  promises  to  forward  this  from  Lancaster  county, 
where  he  lives,  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  wait  their  return. 


XVI. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  July  24,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  two  letters  of 
the  1st  and  one  of  the  5th  instant.2  Your  letter  of  the  1st,  in 
which  you  speak  of  a  proposed  expedition  to  Sandusky,  met 
General  "Washington  here.  Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  it, 
I  conversed  with  the  general  on  the  subject  of  the  expedition  — 
at  that  moment  there  was  a  rumor  that  Charleston  was  evac- 
uated; this  induced  the  general  to  suspend  giving  his  opinion 
on  the  matter  until  it  could  be  ascertained  whether  Charleston 
was  evacuated  or  not.  If  it  had  been,  he  would  have  ordered 
the  troops  at  Carlisle  to  your  assistance,  under  Colonel  [Rich- 
horse  track  among  the  monster  trees  of  the  ancient  forest,  was  that  Hannas- 
town,  which  occupied  such  a  prominent  place  in  the  early  history  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  where  was  held  the  first  court  west  of  the  Alleghany  [moun- 
tains, and]  where  the  resolves  of  May  16, 1775  [in  opposition  to  the  tyrannical 
acts  of  Great  Britain],  were  passed." — G.  Dallas  Albert,  in  Dr.  Wm.  H. 
Egle's  History  of  Pennsylvania,  pp.  1153,  1154. 

1  Ante,  p.  140,  note;  see,  also,  Appendix  G, —  Irvine  to  Moore,  same  date 
as  the  above  letter. 

2  Only  one  of  Irvine's  letters  here  referred  to,  that  of  the  1st  of  July,  1782, 
has  been  found.    (Ante,  page  174.) 

12 


178  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

ard]  Butler.  He  has  since  little  or  no  reason  to  suppose  the 
report  true;  he,  therefore,  yesterday  determined  not  to  send 
those  men  from  Carlisle,  lest  they  should  be  called  for  by 
General  [Nathaniel]  Greene. 

It  is  impossible  for  me  at  this  distance,  and  with  my  present 
information  to  judge  of  the  propriety  of  your  proceeding  or 
not;  your  own  judgment  must  determine  you  when  all  cir- 
cumstances are  combined.  If  you  should  succeed  it  will  be  a 
pretty  stroke  indeed. 

I  have  only  to  add,  if  your  movements  are  such  as  can  be 
justified  on  military  principles  (I  presume  you  would  not  at- 
tempt a  movement  upon  any  others,  however  strongly  urged 
by  those  who  wish  the  expedition  to  go  forward  at  every  haz- 
ard), whether  you  succeed  or  not,  you  will  be  justified  by  all 
good  men. 


XVII. —  Ik  vine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  25,  1782. 

Sir: — The  incursions  of  the  Indians  on  the  frontier  of  this 
country  will  unavoidably  prevent  the  militia  from  assembling 
so  soon  as  the  1st  of  August.  Indeed,  I  begin  to  entertain 
doubts  of  their  being  able  to  raise  and  equip  the  proposed 
number  this  season;  however,  I  am  requested  to  meet  all  the 
militia  officers  on  this  subject  the  first  of  August,  when  the 
business  will  doubtless  be  determined  on  or  given  up  for 
the  present. 

I  have  written  to  [John  Moylan]  the  clothier-general  and 
sent  him  accurate  returns  of  the  clothing  received  and  issued 
at  this  post  since  my  arrival,  and  also  articles  remaining  on 
hand,  together  with  an  exact  estimate  of  what  will  be  indis- 
pensably necessary  this  fall; — linen  overalls  and  other  sum- 
mer clothing  which  were  promised  to  be  forwarded  have  been 
entirely  neglected,  which  has  been  attended  with  many  incon- 
veniences and  evil  consequences.  Two  hundred  regimental 
suits  came  up  last  November.  Circumstances  rendered  it 
proper  to  deliver  them  at  that  time,  which  I  believe  was  much 
earlier  in  the  season  than  the  main  army  received  theirs;  add 


Appendix  B.  179 

to  this  they  were  quite  too  small  and  of  a  bad  quality, —  they 
are  now  entirely  worn  out;  so  that  if  the  clothier-general 
should  not  think  of  sending  our  proportion  early  in  the  fall 
and  any  accident  should  prevent  their  arrival  before  winter  sets 
in,  the  men  will  absolutely  perish;  particularly  as  transporta- 
tion is  so  tedious  to  this  place,  and  in  winter  impracticable. 

These  are  the  reasons  I  give  you  this  trouble;  as  I  appre- 
hend some  neglect  or  mistake  may  happen  without  your  direc- 
tion. Two  hundred  suits,  with  some  shirts  and  shoes,  would 
be  sufficient  with  those  on  hand. 

Enclosed  is  a  return  of  the  friendly  Delaware  Indians  at 
this  post.  About  a  dozen  pack-horses  would  be  enough  to 
transport  their  children  and  baggage,  which  is  not  heavy  at 
present; — they  are  entirely  naked,  poor  wretches!  But  as  to 
a  guard,  I  know  not  how  that  is  to  be  obtained.  In  the  dis- 
position of  mind  the  people  are  now  in,  five  hundred  men 
would  not  guard  them  over  the  mountains;  so  I  presume  they 
are  likely  to  remain  where  they  are  as  long  as  the  populace 
choose  to  let  them  live.  I  assure  you  they  are  troublesome 
company  for  a  commanding  officer.  No  reasoning  can  per- 
suade the  people  of  this  country,  but  that  an  officer  who  will 
protect  an  Indian  at  all,  on  any  account  or  pretence,  must  be  a 
bad  man.  However,  this  shall  by  no  means  deter  me  from 
protecting  them  as  long  as  it  is  the  pleasure  of  congress  it 
shall  be  done.  If  they  are  to  remain  here,  I  beg  you  will  di- 
rect some  winter  clothing  sent  for  them.  They  are  perpet- 
ually teasing  me;  indeed,  it  is  a  shame  to  see  them. 

The  soldiery  have  been  all  summer  kept  close  to  duty  and 
extreme  hard  fatigue  in  repairing  the  fort.  So  much  is  yet  to 
be  done  that  little  of  their  time  can  be  spared  to  build  Indian 
huts.  Upon  the  whole,  I  believe  the  best  thing  to  be  done, 
when  the  weather  begins  to  set  in  cold,  would  be  to  set  them 
into  a  piece  of  woodland,  as  near  the  fort  as  possible; — let 
them  keep  guard  for  themselves,  and  give  information  if  likely 
to  be  attacked.  If  you  approve  of  this  plan,  I  will  execute  it 
if  possible.  The  reasons  against  keeping  them  in  the  garri- 
son are  so  numerous  and  evident  that  I  need  scarce  trouble 
you  with  them  [two  of  the  principal,  however,  are  their  un- 


ISO  Washington-Irvine  Co7,respo?idence. 

common  filth  in  ess,  and  that  they  would  consume  more  fuel 
than  all  the  garrison  beside].1 


XVIII. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  August  16,  1782. 
Sir: — By  the  enclosed  resolves2  you  will  observe  that  con- 
gress are  attentive  to  the  safety  of  your  post.  Such  articles 
of  military  stores  as  you  now  want  or  may  hereafter  have  oc- 
casion for,  you  will  please  to  draw  for  on  the  store  at  Carlisle. 
If  you  should  not  find  a  sufficient  supply  there,  I  wish  to  have 
a  particular  return  of  such  articles  as  are  necessary  to  the  se- 
curity of  your  post,  and  they  shall  be  forwarded  with  all  pos- 
sible despatch. 

XIX. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  23,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  am  honored  with  your  favor  of  the  21th  of  July. 
I  did  expect  to  have  gone  on  the  excursion  spoken  of  before 
this  time,  but  a  variety  of  accidents  and  obstructions  have  in- 
tervened. It  is  not  yet  entirely  laid  aside;  the  10th  Septem- 
ber is  the  day  now  appointed  for  the  last  effort. 

I  intended  transmitting  you  returns  of  the  militia  ordered 
out  by  me  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier,  but  notwithstanding 
I  have  taken  an  infinity  of  pains  to  collect  them,  I  have  hith- 
erto found  it  impossible.     Indeed,  the  detached  situation  they 

1  The  words  in  brackets  are,  in  the  original,  attempted  to  be  erased,  but  are 
legible. 

2  These  resolves,  which  were  passed  on  the  8th  of  August,  were  in  the 
following  words : 

"  Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  states  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  immediately  to  draw  out  and  order  to  Fort  Pitt,  each  state  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men  properly  officered  and  accoutred,  to  be  under  the  orders  of 
the  commanding  officer  of  that  post,  to  enable  the  said  officer  more  effectually 
to  cover  and  protect  the  country. 

"  That  the  secretary  at  war  and  superintendent  of  finance  take  order  that 
proper  magazines  be  laid  up  in  the  said  post,  which  may  enable  the  com- 
manding officer,  in  case  the  said  post  should  be  invested  by  the  enemy,  to 
render  it  tenable  until  relieved." 


Appe?idix  B.  181 

» — • 

are  in  renders  it  difficult  for  the  officers  to  get  them  in;  add 
to  this,  they  are  all  to  he  taught  how  to  make  them,  not  hav- 
ing been  formerly  demanded.  The  requisition  on  Washington 
county  was  for  one  hundred  and  sixty;  and  on  Westmoreland, 
sixty.  The  first  has  generally  had  about  half  the  number  out, 
and  the  latter  nearly  their  full  complement  continually  out. 
I  have  studied  economy  scrupulously  in  every  instance,  and 
think  the  pains  I  have  taken  has  had  some  effect. 


XX. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  September  2,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  favor  of  the  23d 
ultimo.  Your  state  are  planning  two  expeditions  against  the 
Indians.  A  committee  is  gone  to  General  Washington  to  con- 
suit  him  on  the  subject  and  to  solicit  his  aid.  How  far  they 
will  succeed  I  know  not.  I  think  it  is  probable  something 
will  be  done. 

I  have  ordered  a  quantity  of  ball  to  Carlisle.  Powder  we 
have  there,  and  paper  for  cartridges.  Should  you  want,  you 
will  direct  your  order  there.  Peace  is  talked  of,— how  far 
we  may  depend  on  it,  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  to  say.  You  will 
learn  from  the  papers  all  the  information  we  are  possessed  of. 


XXI. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  September  7,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  have  only  time  to  mention  to  you  that  an  expedi- 
tion is  agreed  on  to  Sandusky.     You  will  be  requested  to  com- 
mand it.     It  is  proposed  to  send  twelve  hundred  men  made 
up  as  followeth,  viz.: 

To  be  detached  from  Fort  Pitt 150 

Rangers  of  this  state 60 

The  militia  ordered  by  congress  to  be  raised  by  this  state  and  the  state 

of  Virginia £00 

Part  of  Hazen's  regiment ' 200 

Volunteers  from  your  part  of  the  country 490 

1,200 
1  This  regiment  was  stationed  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 


182  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

At  the  same  time  an  attempt  will  be  made  against  the  Gen- 
esee towns;1  nine  hundred  men  will  be  sent  there.  The  state 
[Pennsylvania]  have  borrowed  money  enough  to  execute  these 
designs.  You  will  hear  more  fully  on  the  matter  in  a  few 
days.  I  expect  the  two  movements  may  be  made  by  the  eighth 
of  October. 


XXII. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  12,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  received  your  favor  of  the  10th  August  and  also 
letters  from  the  governors  of  Virginia2  and  Pennsylvania,3  ac- 
quainting me  of  the  requisition  of  congress  on  each  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  to  be  sent  here,  and  their  having  ordered 
them  accordingly.  They  have  not  yet  arrived,  and  everything 
has  been  so  quiet  in  this  quarter  since  the  beginning  of  Au- 
gust, and  the  season  so  far  advanced,  besides  the  difficulty 
of  getting  provision  for  them,  that  I  now  almost  wish  they 
may  not  come. 

But  as  I  did  not  know  what  information  you  might  have  got 
of  the  enemy's  intention  against  this  post  from  some  other 
quarter,  I  could  not  think  myself  at  liberty  positively  to  coun- 
termand their  march.4  Immediately,  however,  on  receipt  of 
the  governors'  letters,  I  wrote  them  how  matters  stood  here.5 
If  they  do  come  up,  I  shall  not  detain  them  longer  than  the 
exigency  of  affairs  may  require. 

1  Villages  and  settlements  of  the  Seneca  Indians  upon  the  Genesee  river,  in 
western  New  York. 

2  See  Appendix  H, —  Harrison  to  Irvine.  August  21,  1782. 

3  Not  found.  It  was  dated  the  13th  of  August.  See  Appendix  G, —  Irvine 
to  Moore,  September  9,  1782. 

4The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Pennsylvania  Packet  of  the  5th  of 
September,  1782  (No.  933),  under  the  Richmond  (Va.)  head  of  August  24th: 

"Certain  accounts  are  .  .  .  received  of  an  expedition  being  intended 
against  Fort  Pitt  by  tlie  British  and  their  Indian  allies.  From  the  rigorous 
measures  adopted  by  this  state  [Va.]  and  Pennsylvania,  we  have  reason  to  hope 
their  designs  will  be  effectually  counteracted  and  at  the  same  time  will  con- 
vince the  public  of  their  real  views  in  holding  out  the  idea  of  peace." 

6  See  Appendix  G, —  Irvine  to  Moore,  September  9,  1782;  also  Appendix 
H, —  Irvine  to  Harrison,  September  3,  same  year. 


Appendix  B.  183 


XXIII. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  12,  1782. 
Sir: —  This 1  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Mr.  Perry,  who  in- 
forms me  he  has  some  intention  to  contract  for  supplying  the 
troops  at  this  post  with  provision.  He  has  requested  me  to 
write  yon,  more  by  way  of  introduction  than  a  recommenda- 
tion, as  he  says  he  can  obtain  sufficient  security  for  any  en- 
gagements he  may  enter  into.  All  I  know  of  the  man  is  that 
he  is  possessed  of  considerable  property,  and  I  believe  has  as 
much  credit  in  this  country  as  any  other  man. 


XXIV. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  September  14, 1782. 

Dear  Sir: —  Congress  have  agreed  that  the  recruits  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  part  of  Hazen's  regiment  shall  be  employed  on  the 
two  expeditions  undertaken  by  this  state,  which  I  mentioned 
to  you  in  my  last  letter.  Two  hundred  of  General  Hazen's 
will  be  sent  to  join  you.  The  executive  of  this  state2  informs 
me  that  they  will  order  sixty  of  their  rangers  to  Fort,  Pitt. 
I  hope  with  those  troops,  those  you  can  spare  from  the  fort, 
the  three  hundred  lately  ordered  to  you  by  congress,  and  the 
volunteers  of  your  country,  you  will  have  a  respectable  force; 
and  that  the  expedition  against  Sandusky  may  be  undertaken 
with  rational  hopes  of  success. 

The  state  are  making  every  preparation  for  procuring  a 
supply  of  horses  and  sacks  for  removing  the  flour  and  other 
necessaiw  stores.  The  beeves  will  travel  with  the  troops.  The 
eighth  of  October  is  fixed  on  as  the  day  for  marching  from 
the  places  of  rendezvous,  namely:  Fort  Pitt  and  Muncy  at 
"Wallace's   place,3  on  the  west   bank  of  the   Susquehanna.     I 

'The  previous  letter,  on  the  back  of  which,  in  the  original,  a  note  was  writ- 
ten introducing  Mr.  Perry,  was  inclosed  in  the  above.  It  will  be  seen  that 
their  dates  are  the  same.  • 

2  That  is,  of  Pennsylvania;  the  continental  war  office  being  located  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

3  Now  Muncy,  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania. 


ISlf,  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

have  some  reason  to  hope  that  General  Washington  will  order, 
at  the  same  time,  some  troops  up  the  Mohawk  river.  You 
will,  I  doubt  not,  be  making  every  preparation  in  your  power, 
the  moment  you  get  this  information.  I  will  forward  some 
ammunition  to  Carlisle,  where  you  may  secure  a  supply. 


XXY. —  Lincoln  to   Irvine. 

'  War  Office,  September,  27,  1782. 
Dear  Sir:  —  From  late  accounts  forwarded   by  his  excel- 
lency,   General    Washington,  we  learn    that  the  Indians   are 
all  called  in;1  this  has  induced  the  resolution  to  lay  aside  the 
expeditions  I  mentioned  to  you  in  my  last. 


XXY  I. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  October  30,  17S2. 

Dear  Sir:  —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  private  letter 
of  the  Sth  instant.  What  number,  or  whether  any  of  the 
general  officers  will  retire,  is  yet  uncertain;  however,  as  you 
will  have  nearly  one  brigade  in  your  state,  and  as  a  general 
officer  will  probably  be  kept  at  Fort  Pitt,  I  suppose  both 
you  and  General  "Wayne  will  be  continued  in  service,  but  this 
is  mere  private  opinion. 

I  know  too  well  how  little  officers  have  received  not  to  be 
fully  convinced  that  you  must  have  spent  much  of  your  pri- 
vate fortune;  and  my  own  experience  has  taught  me  what  are 
the  expenses  of  two  families;  but  I  conceive  matters  are  in 
too  unsettled  a  state  for  you  to  think  of  removing  your  famil}r 
at  present.  Put  I  am  of  opinion  you  may  with  great  safety 
visit  your  family  as  you  propose;  and  it  is  probable  that  when 
you  are  at  Carlisle,  I  shall  have  it  in  my  power  to  write  you 
more  fully. 

1  Ante,  p- 135,  note  2. 


Appendix  B.  186 


XXVII.  —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Wae  Office,  October  30,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  two  favors  of  the 
8th  instant.  I  have  written  to  General  Greene  that  if  he 
should  think  proper  to  retain  any  of  the  troops  of  this  state 
[Pennsylvania]  with  him  in  South  Carolina  and  not  all  of 
them,  that  he  would  select  one  complete  regiment  and  officers 
to  command  it;  and  that  the  other  officers  and  men  should  re- 
turn to  this  state.  I  cannot  therefore  fully  arrange  your  line 
until  I  hear  from  General  Greene. 

I  think  you  may  retain  your  present  aid  [Lieut.  John  Rose]. 
You  will  do  it  until  we  know  what  is  done  by  the  General 
[Washington]  with  the  main  army.  "We  are  so  exceedingly  at 
a  loss  respecting  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  that  I  am  not  suf- 
ficiently informed  to  make  any  observations  on  the  latter  part 
of  your  letter.  Before  you  receive  this,  you  will  know  that 
the  proposed  expedition  is  laid  aside  —  for  that  the  Indians 
are  called  in. 


XXYIII.  —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  December  14,  1TS2. 
Sir:  —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
October.  Before  you  receive  this,  the  clothing  will,  I  hope, 
have  reached  Fort  Pitt.  I  expect  we  shall  soon  have  it  in  our 
power  to  make  the  troops  a  handsome  payment.  An  extract 
from  your  letter  to  me  respecting  the  new  settlers,  was  laid  on 
the  table  of  congress.  The  expedition  mentioned  in  a  former 
letter  from  you,  will  in  my  opinion  be  laid  aside;  as  the  pres- 
ent state  of  our  finances  forbid  the  prosecution  of  it. 


XXIX. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  1,  17S3. 
Sir:  —  Confined  to  my  room  by  a  severe  attack  of  the  rheu- 
matism, it  was  not  in  my  power  to  acknowledge  sooner  the 
receipt  of  your  letters.     I  flattered  myself  with  the  hopes  of 


ISO  Wasliington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

obtaining  before  this  time  an  answer  to  my  letter  from  his 
excellency,  General  Washington,  and  his  leave  to  go  down  the 
country.  But  favored  with  your  consent,  I  fear  the  state  of 
my  health  will  hardly  permit  me  to  venture  on  this  journey 
before  the  month  of  February.  I  think  it  necessary  to  acquaint 
you  of  this  circumstance,  as  your  orders  would  not  meet  me 
in  Carlisle  at  a  time  when  you  might  expect  it  by  the  permis- 
sion asked  and  granted. 

As  the  present  arrangement  of  the  army  might  affect  the 
officers  of  this  garrison  in  such  a  manner  as  to  reduce  all  three 
field  officers  here  present,  I  must  request  you  to  order  who- 
ever should  supply  their  places  to  repair  to  this  post  before 
my  departure  from  here.  Besides  different  other  reasons,  it 
would  be  highly  inconvenient  and  inadvisable,  that  the  com- 
mand, in  my  absence,  should  devolve  upon  any  body  inferior 
to  a  field  officer.  The  clothing  destined  for  this  garrison 
[should  be  received  before  the]  season  sets  in  severe;  and  the 
[destitute  soldiers,  in  such  a]  situation,  are  much  exposed  to 
its  [inclemency]. 

XXX. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine.1 

War  Office,  March  22,  1TS3. 

Dear  Sir:  —  I  was  by  Mr.  liose  honored  with  the  receipt  of 
your  favor  of  the  Gth.  I  have  communicated  to  him  by  way 
of  answers  to  various  questions  he  laid  before  me  all  I  have  to 
say  of  a  public  nature.  Such  is  the  present  state  of  affairs, 
that  I  could  not  move  for  his  promotion  with  any  probability 
of  success.  Congress,  at  least  many  of  them,  are  hourly  look- 
ing for  the  arrival  of  the  messenger  of  peace. 

Mr.  Hose  mentioned  to  me  your  wish  to  have  my  private 
sentiments  respecting  the  removal  of  your  family  to  Fort  Pitt. 
Such  a  measure  in  the  present  state  of  things  I  think  could  not 
be  advised ;  for  the  moment  there  is  peace,  each  state  will,  in  my 
opinion,  be  left  to  keep  up  or  not,  as  they  shall  judge  proper, 
garrisons  within   themselves.     Should  this   be  the  case,  your 

1  This  letter  was  directed  to  General  Irvine  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  where 
tli  11  visiting  his  family,  he  having  reached  home  the  4th.    (See  p.  53.) 


Appendix  B.  187 

stay  would  not  be  long  at  that  post  as  a  continental  officer. 
However,  before  the  weather  will  permit  you  taking  this  jour- 
ney with  your  family,  we  shall  be  freed  probably  from  our 
present  painful  suspense. 


XXXI. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Carlisle,  April  16,  1783. 

Sir: — I  have  this  day  received  letters  by  express  from 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Bayard,  the  commanding  officer  in  my 
absence  at  Fort  Pitt,  informing  me  that  the  savages  have  lately 
killed  and  taken  a  number  of  families  at  nearly  the  same  time 
in  many  different  places  of  the  country  as  well  on  the  frontier 
of  Virginia  as  Pennsylvania.1  Not  less  than  seventeen  per- 
sons are  said  to  be  killed  and  scalped  in  a  small  settlement  on 
Wheeling  creek.  The  whole  number  mentioned  to  be  killed 
and  taken  exceeds  thirty. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  nothing  short  of  a  total  extirpation  of 
all  the  western  tribes  of  Indians,  or  at  least  driving  them  over 
the  Mississippi  and  the  lakes,  will  insure  peace.  It  is  probable 
that  congress  will  think  proper  to  give  some  instructions 
under  these  circumstances.  If  they  should,  you  will  no  doubt 
recollect  that  the  terms  of  enlistment  of  the  regular  troops 
end  with  the  British  war.  I  also  beg  to  inform  you  that  the 
contract  for  supplying  provisions  being  limited  to  the  post  of 
Fort  Pitt,  will  not  answer  for  covering  the  country  even  on 
the  defensive  plan.  1  could  therefore  wish  your  instructions 
on  this  head  as  soon  as  may  be,  if  my  return  to  that  place  is 
thought  necessary,  which,  however,  I  will  postpone  till  I  receive 
your  answer,  unless  his  excellency's  (General  Washington's) 
letter,  which  I  daily  expect  should  direct  my  immediate 
return. 

My  aid-de-camp  told  me  you  had  no  objection  to  my  get- 
ting a  non-commissioned  officer  and  six  dragoons  with  me. 
If  I  am  to  go  up  [to  Pittsburgh],  I  hope  you  will  please  to 
order  them  to  this  place  in  time  to  set  out  with  me. 

1  See  Appendix  M, —  Bayard  to  Irvine,  5  April,  1783. 


288  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXXII. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Wae  Office,  May  3,  1783. 
Sir: — Mr.  [Ephraira]  Douglass,  who  will  have  the  honor 
of  presenting  this  letter,1  is  charged  with  a  message  to  the 
Indian  nations  on  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States.  You 
will  be  pleased  to  afford  him  every  assistance  which  will  con- 
tribute to  render  his  mission  speedy  and  effectual.2 

1  This  letter  was  directed  to  Irvine  at  Fort  Pitt  although  he  was  at  Carlisle. 
However,  he  soon  left  for  Pittsburgh,  reaching  their  previous  to  the  arrival  of 
Douglass. 

2  On  a  report  of  the  secretary  at  war  of  the  United  States  to  congress  on 
the  1st  of  May,  1783,  to  whom  had  been  referred  a  letter  from  President 
Dickinson  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylviania  to  the  delegates 
of  that  state,  covering  one  from  General  Irvine  to  him  on  the  continuation  of 
Indian  hostilities  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt,  that  body 

"Resolved,  That  the  secretary  at  war  take  the  most  effectual  measures  to  in- 
form the  several  Indian  nations,  on  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States,  that 
preliminary  articles  of  peace  have  been  agreed  on,  and  hostilities  have  ceased 
with  Great  Britain,  and  to  communicate  to  them  that  the  forts  within  the 
United  States,  and  in  possession  of  the  British  troops,  will  speedily  be  evacu- 
ated ;  intimating  also  that  the  United  States  are  disposed  to  enter  into  friendly 
treaty  with  the  different  tribes ;  and  to  inform  the  hostile  Indian  nations,  that 
unless  they  immediately  cease  all  hostilities  against  the  citizens  of  these  states, 
and  accept  of  these  friendly  proffers  of  peace,  congress  will  take  the  most 
decided  measures  to  compel  them  thereto. 

"  Ordered,  That  the  secretary  at  war  transmit  the  proceedings  of  congress 
herein,  with  copies  of  President  Dickinson's  and  General  Irvine's  letters,  to 
the  commander-in-chief  and  to  the  commissioners  for  Indian  affairs  in  the 
northern  department." 

The  secretary  at  war  appointed  Ephraim  Douglass,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  western  department,  ;i  resident  of  Westmoreland  county  (of  that  part 
which  soon  became  Fayette),  to  visit  the  western  tribes  under  the  foregoing 
resolution;  and  issued  to  him  early  in  May,  1783,  proper  instructions  for  his 
guidance  in  the  performance  of  his  duties.  He  also  wrote  the  above  letter  (o 
be  presented  to  the  officer  commanding  at  Fort  Pitt.  For  further  information 
as  to  his  visit,  see  Appendix  M, —  Douglass  to  Irvine,  June  7  and  July  G,  1783. 


Appendix  B.  189 


XXXIII. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

Port  Tobacco,  June  23,  1783. 

Sir: — It  is  the  pleasure  of  congress  that  furloughs1  should 
be  offered  to  all  the  men  engaged  for  the  war  with  a  propor- 
tion of  officers.  As  the  men  who  compose  the  garrison  at 
Fort  Pitt  are  men  under  this  description,  it  becomes  necessary 
they  should  be  relieved.  The  officer  [Captain  Joseph  Mar- 
bury]  who  will  have  the  honor  of  delivering  this  letter  com- 
mands a  party  who  will  take  possession  of  the  fort  on  your 
withdrawing  the  present  garrison.2  I  wish  the  gentleman  who 
has  the  care  of  the  military  stores  would  continue  his  charge 
of  them  until  farther  orders. 

The  men  who  belong  to  the  line  of  Pennsylvania,  you  will 
please  to  order  to  Carlisle.  Should  any  of  your  men  live 
between  Fort  Pitt  and  Carlisle  who  wish  to  receive  their  fur- 
loughs before  they  arrive  there,  you  will  please  to  give  them 
written  ones.  On  their  arrival  at  Carlisle  they  will  find  three 
months'  pay  in  Morris's  notes,  payable  in  six  months  from 
their  date. 

The  men  belonging  to  Virginia  you  will  please  to  order  to 
Winchester  unless  any  of  them  should  incline  to  receive  their 
furloughs  before  they  arrive  there.  In  that  case,  I  wish  they 
also  might  be  indulged.  On  their  arrival,  they  will  receive 
the  same  pay  as  those  of  the  line  of  Pennsylvania. 

1  The  following  was  the  form  of  furloughs,  or  discharges,  used  at  that  period: 
These  are  to  certify,  that  the  bearer  hereof,  Jeremiah  Barmen,  soldier  in 

the  second  Pennsylvania  regiment,  having  faithfully  served  the  United  States 
seven  years  and  nine  months,  and  being  enlisted  for  the  war,  is  hereby  dis- 
charged from  the  American  army.     Given  at  Fort  Pitt,  September  30,  1783. 

Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

Registered  in  the  books  of  the  regiment  [in  this  case,  of  the  detachment]. 
J.  Crawford,  Lieut.  3d  Penn'a  regiment,  adjutant. 

[Fort  Pitt,  September  30,]  1783. 

The  within  [the  above]  certificate  shall  not  avail  the  bearer  as  a  discharge 
until  the  ratification  of  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace;  previous  to  which 
time,  and  until  proclamation  thereof  shall  be  made,  he  is  to  be  considered  on 
furlough.  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

2  This  letter  was  detained,  causing  Irvine  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  and 
trouble. 


190  Washington-Twine  Correspondence. 


XXXI Y. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  18,  1783. 

Sir: — Various  reports  respecting  new  arrangements  of,  and 
settlement  with  the  army,  have  reached  this  place;  among 
others  that  all  the  troops  for  the  war  are  conditionally  dis- 
charged and  have  received  four  months'  pay;  though  I  do  not 
mean  to  pay  any  regard  to  reports,  yet  circumstances  are  so 
strong  in  favor  of  the  truth  of  some  of  them  I  begin  to  per- 
suade myself  that  your  orders  or  dispatches  to  me  have  miscar- 
ried (nothing  official  has  come  to  hand  since  my  aid-de-camp 
left  you  in  March,  except  a  letter  from  his  excellency,  the 
commander-in-chief,  dated  the  16th  April,  directing  me  to 
return  immediately  to  this  post),  as  I  cannot  suppose  yon 
would  omit  at  least  advising  me  of  such  material  changes. 

It  may  probably  be  necessary  to  acquaint  you  that  such 
of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  as  have  a  resi- 
dence in  this  country,  expect  a  final  settlement  here;  and  it 
has  been  repeatedly  indispensably  so  for  me  to  assure  them 
that  they  would  be  treated,  in  all  respects,  exactly  as  every  part 
of  the  army.  In  this  I  not  only  looked  on  myself  justifiable, 
but  that  a  contrary  conduct  would  have  been  criminal,  as  it 
would  have  implied  a  doubt  of  the  justice  of  congress  or  the 
states. 

Accounts  in  an  obscure  and  indirect  way  of  the  late  turbu- 
lency  of  the  troops  at  Philadelphia  have  also  arrived  here,  yet 
this  garrison  have  hitherto  continued  in  perfect  subordination 
and  good  order,  but  I  can  scarce  flatter  myself  they  will  long 
remain  quiet  after  hearing  all  the  rest  of  the  army  are  at  lib- 
erty. Under  these  circumstances  without  advice  or  orders,  I 
presume  you  will  conceive  I  must  be  not  a  little  embarrassed, 
and  that  I  naturally  wish  for  instructions  as  soon  as  possible. 

If  a  time  cannot  be  fixed  for  final  settlement,  it  will  be  very 
agreeable  to  me  even  to  be  able  to  assure  the  men  when  they 
will  be  settled  with,  and  what  mode  will  be  adopted  for  warn- 
ing them  to  assemble  for  this  purpose,  if  it  can  be  done  with 
propriety. 

I  am  told  it  is  determined  to  keep  this  post  garrisoned  on 


Appendix  B.  I!)  1 

the  peace  establishment;  if  so,  I  presume  a  relief  will  soon 
arrive,  and  think  it  probable  you  will  refer  the  commanding 
officer  to  me  for  advice  in  particular  cases,  notwithstanding  I 
conceive  this  will  be  my  duty  without  any  such  reference.  I 
entreat  you  to  be  so  good  as  to  be  explicit  in  your  instructions 
to  myself,  particularly  respecting  the  time  for  me  to  give  up 
the  command  of  the  post. 

I  yet  keep  an  officer  and  only  ten  men  at  Fort  Mcintosh, 
merely  to  take  care  of  the  works;  a  small  garrison  for  this 
place  of  one  hundred  men  cannot  well  afford  any  for  that  post. 
Pray,  what  is  to  be  done  in  this  case;  is  it  to  be  demolished 
or  left  standing;  or  might  it  not  be  prudent  to  put  a  family 
or  two  in  it,  to  save  it  from  accidental  or  wanton  destruction? 
It  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio,  thirty  miles  down  from  this 
place,  and  the  same  distance  advanced  towards  the  Indian 
country.  If  it  should  happen  that  I  cannot  keep  the  regular 
troops  together  till  I  receive  instructions,  I  intend  calling  in 
about  thirty  militia  only  in  the  present  tranquil  state,  to  guard 
the  stores  and  post.  In  this  last  case,  will  it  be  proper  for  me 
to  leave  the  place  in  charge  of  a  careful  captain  till  the  new 
garrison  arrives?  These  queries  are  more  numerous  and  pro- 
lix than  I  could  wish,  but  hope  you  will  not  think  them  un- 
necessary or  improper. 

Scarcity  of  provisions  laid  me  under  a  necessity  of  furlough- 
ing  most  of  the  troops  on  the  1st  instant  for  a  few  days, — 
which  I  continue  in  rotation.  The  person  who  does  the  con- 
tractor's business  informs  me  he  cannot  long  procure  this 
small  supply  for  want  of  money  which  he  says  his  principals 
do  not  furnish  him  with. 

There  is  some  cash  subject  to  my  orders,  but  not  enough  to 
pay  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  one  month,  ex- 
clusive of  officers,  who  are  also  distressed  for  subsistence, 
especially  since  the  contractor  cannot  supply  them  with  pro- 
vision. I  have  also  indulged  as  many  officers  with  leave  of 
absence  as  could  be  spared,  but  this  only  serves  such  as  have 
connections  in  this  country,  who  are  few.  No  officers  of  the 
Virginia  line  have  ever  been  sent  to  relieve  those  who  ought 


102  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

to  have  retired  last  January,  which  is  peculiarly  hard  on  those 
gentlemen. 

No  Indian  incursions  have  been  made  since  the  middle  of 
May,  then  only  in  one  instance.  I  have  no  accounts  from  Mr. 
Douglass  or  those  with  him  with  the  flag  since  his  departure. 
I  therefore  am  of  opinion  he  has  been  well  received.  I  beg 
the  favor  of  you  to  direct  either  this  letter,  or  a  copy  of  it,  to 
be  transmitted  to  his  excellency,  General  "Washington.  I 
would  by  no  means  give  you  this  trouble,  but  for  an  appre- 
hension of  my  directing  a  wrong  route  to  him;  some  pretend 
to  say  he  will  soon  be  at  the  Bath  in  Virginia.1 


XXXV. —  Lincoln  to  Irvine. 

War  Office,  August  4,  1783. 

Sir: —  I  have  been  favored  with  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  the  18th  ultimo.  The  letter  which  I  had  the  honor  to  ad- 
dress to  you  on  the  23d  of  June,  by  the  officer  [Capt.  Joseph 
Marbury]  commanding  the  detachment  intending  to  take  pos- 
session of  Fort  Pitt  when  your  garrison  should  retire,  would 
inform  yon  of  the  arrangements  which  were  taken  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  resolves  of  congress  directing  the  troops  enlisted 
for  the  war  to  be  furloughed.2 

The  accounts  of  the  army  are  committed  to  the  paymaster 
general  for  settlement,  who  is  vested  with  special  powers  for 
this  purpose.  You  will  be  informed,  I  presume,  b}T  that  offi- 
cer, or  by  the  commanding  officer  of  your  line,  in  what  man- 
ner the  accounts  are  to  be  made  up  and  finally  adjusted. 

Your  expedient  of  granting  furloughs  in  routine  to  econo- 
mize provision  was  perfectly  prudent  and  proper. 

'This  letter  is  given  as  copied  by  Irvine.  It  is  differently  arranged  from 
the  original,  though  the  substance  is  the  same. 

2  These  resolutions  passed  congress  May  20  and  June  11,1783.  They  in- 
structed the  commander-in-chief  to  grant  furloughs  to  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  soldiers  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  enlisted  to  serve  dur- 
ing the  war,  who  were  to  be  discharged  as  soon  as  the  "  definitive  "  treaty  of 
peace  was  concluded,  together  with  a  proportionable  number  of  commissioned 
officers  of  the  different  grades. 


Appendix  B.  193 

As  the  peace  establishment  is  not  yet  resolved  on,  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  what  will  be  done  with  Fort  Mcintosh ;  although 
I  do  not  conceive  it  will  be  continued  as  a  garrison.  Your 
proposition  of  permitting  a  family  to  reside  there  will,  I 
think,  answer  the  purpose  of  preventing  accidental  injury  to 
the  works  and  have  future  good  consequences  should  circum- 
stances render  it  necessary  to  re-occupy  the  post. 

Should  you  apprehend  any  risk  from  an  incomplete  or, 
rather,  an  insufficient  garrison  being  left  at  Fort  Pitt,  you  will 
be  pleased  to  carry  your  intentions  respecting  a  call  of  thirty 
militia  into  effect  until  a  re-enforcement  arrives. 

The  commander-in-chief  is  expected  to  visit  congress  soon. 
Your  letter  will  be  shown  to  him  when  he  arrives. 


XXXVI. —  Irvine  to  Lincoln. 

Fokt  Pitt,  August  17,  1783. 

Sir: —  Enclosed  are  returns  of  the  stores  at  this  post.1  They 
are  well-assorted,  packed,  and  safely  stored  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  give  little  trouble  to  whatever  officer  may  have  them  in 
charge  hereafter.  I  suppose  there  will  be  little  alteration  be- 
fore my  departure,  as  the  expenditures  have  been  very  trifling 
for  many  months  past.  I  intend  taking  receipts  for  the  whole 
from  my  successor,  which  I  will  transmit  to  the  war  office. 

Nothing  remarkable  has  occurred  since  my  letters  of  the 
18th  July  and  4-th  of  August,2  except  that  great  numbers  of 
men  have  crossed  the  Ohio,  and  have  made  actual  settlements 
in  different  places  from  the  Muskingum  to  the  Wabash.  This 
will,  in  all  probability,  renew  the  Indian  war.3 

1  These  "returns  ,1  not  found. 

2  The  letter  of  Aug.  4.  1783,  has  not  been  found. 

3  The  crossing  over  of  inhabitants  of  the  west  to  the  Indian  side  of 
the  Ohio,  to  form  settlements,  commenced  some  time  before;  but  as  the  Del- 
awares  had  not  yet  become,  as  a  nation,  hostile  to  the  United  States,  the  Fort 
Pitt  commander,  Col.  Daniel  Brodhead,  in  order  to  preserve  peace  with  that 
tribe  (as  they  claimed  the  lands  adjoining  the  Ohio),  determined  to  drive  off 
the  intruders.     His  action  is  best  described  in  his  own  words: 

"  I  received  a  letter  [on  the  9th  of  October,  1779]  from  Col.  Shepherd,  lieu- 
13 


19 Jf.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

I  anxiously  wish  to  be  relieved,  particularly  as  I  conceive 
my  continuance  here,  under  present  circumstances  (at  least  as 
far  as  has  come  to  my  knowledge),  can  be  of  little  or  no  use  to 
the  public. 

P.  S. —  The  Arirginians  were  paid  when  discharged,  one 
month  in  specie,  with  three  in  notes;  as  the  cash  in  my  hands 
will  not  reach  to  pay  the  Pennsylvanians  exclusive  of  the  offi- 
cers' subsistence,  I  hope  an  addition  in  specie  will  be  sent  with 
the  notes;  both  of  which,  as  well  as  discharges,  the  men  are 

tenant  of  Ohio  county  [Virginia],  informing  me  that  a  certain  Decker,  Cox 
and  company,  with  others  [all  from  Yohogania  and  Ohio  counties],  had  crossed 
the  Ohio  river  and  committed  trespasses  on  the  Indians'  lands,  wherefore  1 
ordered  sixty  rank  and  file  to  be  equipped,  and  Captain  Clark  of  the  8th  Penn- 
sylvania regiment  proceeded  with  his  party  to  Wheeling,  with  orders  to  cross 
that  river  and  to  apprehend  some  of  the  principal  trespassers  and  destroy  their 
huts.  He  returned  without  finding  any  of  the  trespassers,  but  destroyed  some 
huts.  He  writes  me  the  inhabitants  have  made  small  improvements  all  the 
way  from  the  Muskingum  river  to  Fort  Mcintosh  and  thirty  miles  up  some 
of  the  branches.  I  sent  a  runner  to  the  Delaware  council,  at  Coshocton 
[site  of  the  present  town  of  that  name],  to  inform  them  of  the  trespass  and 
assure  them  it  was  committed  by  some  foolish  people,  and  requested  them  to 
rely  on  my  doing  them  justice  and  punishing  the  offenders,  but  as  yet  have 
not  received  an  answer.'" — Brodhead  to  Washington,  from  Pittsburgh,  Octo- 
ber 26,  1779. 

The  emigration  across  the  Ohio  made  little  headway  until  after  the  Dela- 
wares  were  driven  from  the  valleys  of  the  Tuscarawas  and  Muskingum,  in  the 
spring  of  1781.  It  then  began  to  increase.  Towards  fall  of  that  year,  meet- 
ings were  held  in  different  places  "for  the  purpose  of  concerting  plans  to 
emigrate  into  the  Indian  country  [for  the  emigrants]  there  to  establish  a  gov- 
ernment for  themselves."  (Appendix  G, —  Irvine  to  Moore,  Dec.  3,  1781.)  By 
the  next  spring,  the  movement  had  received  quite  an  impetus.  Ambition,  on 
the  part  of  a  few;  to  acquire  cheap  lands,  on  the  part  of  many ;  seem  to  have 
been  the  inciting  causes.  (Ante,  p.  109.)  From  that  time  until  the  date  of 
Irvine's  letter  there  had  been,  apparently,  no  relaxation  in  the  emigration ; 
for  in  August  "great  numbers  of  men"  had  crossed  the  Ohio  and  made 
"  actual  settlement,"  as  expressed  by  him. 

The  Indian  war  was  indeed  renewed  —  after  a  number  of  years ;  or,  rather, 
the  revolution,  so  far  as  the  United  States  and  the  western  savages  were  con- 
cerned, was  continued;  for  peace  was  never  fully  established  between  the  two 
until  the  treaty  at  Greenville  in  1705.  Great  Britain,  during  all  this  time, 
was  covertly  hostile  to  the  United  States,  aiding  and  abetting  the  Indians  in 
many  ways.  It  was  not  until  after  Wayne's  victory  and  Jay's  treaty  that 
the  Northwest  enjoyed  complete  immunity  from  savage  aggressions. 


Appendix  B.  105 

impatient  for.  They  have  repeatedly  been  informed  by  report 
that  they  are  the  only  men,  for  the  war,  who  are  unpaid  and 
held  in  service.  

XXXVII.— AY.  Jackson1  to  Ievine. 

Princeton,  September  15,  1783. 

Sir: —  In  the  absence  of  General  Lincoln,  who  is  on  a  visit 
to  Massachusetts,  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  your  letter  by  Lieutenant  Rose. 

The  secretary  at  war's  letter  of  the  23d  of  June  not  having 
reached  you,  accounts  for  your  want  of  intelligence  respecting 
the  measures  which  had  been  taken  for  relieving,  paying,  and 
furloughing  the  troops  composing  your  garrison.  The  causes 
which  delayed  the  march  of  the  troops  [Captain  Joseph  Mar- 
bury 's  company]  from  Maryland  having  been  sometime  re- 
moved, I  hope  they  will  have  arrived  before  you  receive  this 
letter;  lest  any  unforeseen  circumstance  should  have  happened 
to  prevent  them,  I  have  furnished  Lieutenant  Rose  with  a  copy 
of  that  letter  and  I  have  taken  measures  for  procuring,  to  send 
by  that  gentleman,  Mr.  Morris'  notes  for  the  three  months' 
pay  which  have  been  given  to  the  rest  of  the  army.  It  may  be 
of  service  to  the  soldiers  that  they  should  know  that  these 
notes  pass  current  as  ready  money  in  the  stores  at  Philadelphia. 

Should  you  deem  it  perfectly  consistent  with  the  safety  of 
the  post  and  the  security  of  the  public  stores,  to  furlough  a 
part  of  your  garrison  before  the  Maryland  detachment  arrives, 
you  are  at  liberty^  to  do  so. 

I  regret  exceedingly  that  circumstances  should  have  made  it 
necessary  for  you  to  continue  so  long  in  command  at  Fort 
Pitt,  which,  on  several  accounts,  must  militate  with  your  con- 
venience. But  I  am  confident  in  the  persuasion  that  Captain 
Marbury,  with  his  detachment,  must  very  soon  arrive  to  take 
possession  of  the  post. 

I  enclose  an  order  to  the  contractors  at  Carlisle  to  supply 
such  provisions  as  you  shall  find  it  expedient  to  grant  certifi- 
cates for  to  the  troops  of  your  garrison   when  on  their  return 

1  Assistant  secretary  at  war. 


IDG  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

to  Philadelphia.  These  supplies  may  be  likewise  granted  to 
those  soldiers  whose  homes  are  distant  from  Carlisle;  it  is  in- 
tended that  a  sufficiency  should  be  supplied  to  subsist  them  to 
their  respective  places  of  abode.1 

Your  letter  which  mentions  an  apprehension  of  the  Indian 
war  being  renewed  by  the  settlements  which  are  made  and 
making  between  the  Muskingum  and  Wabash  has  been  laid 
before  congress  and  is  referred  to  a  committee.2 

1 "  The  contractors  for  Pennsylvania  will  please  to  issne,  on  the  orders  of 
Brigadier  General  Irvine,  such  provisions  as  he  shall  draw  for,  to  subsist  the 
soldiers  composing  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pitt  to  their  respective  homes  when 
furloughed.  W.  Jackson,  Assistant  Secretary  at  War. 

"War  Office,  September  15,  1783." 

s Congress  soon  took  action  in  the  matter,  issuing  a  proclamation  prohibit- 
ing and  forbidding  "all  persons  from  making  settlements  on  lands  inhabited 
or  claimed  by  Indians,  without  the  limits  or  jurisdiction  of  any  particular 
state."     The  following  was  the  text: 
"  By  the  United  States  in  congress  assembled.     A  proclamation. 

"  Whereas,  by  the  ninth  of  the  articles  of  confederation,  it  is  among 
other  things  declared,  that  '  the  United  States  in  congress  assembled  have  the 
sole  and  exclusive  right  and  power  of  regulating  the  trade,  and  managing  all 
affairs  with  the  Indians  not  members  of  any  of  the  states;  provided,  that  the 
legislative  right  of  any  state  within  its  own  limits  be  not  infringed  or  vio- 
lated.' And  whereas,  it  is  essential  to  the  welfare  and  interest  of  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  harmony  and  friendship 
with  the  Indians,  not  members  of  any  of  the  states,  that  all  cause  of  quarrel 
and  complaint  between  them  and  the  United  States,  or  any  of  them,  should 
be  removed  and  prevented;  therefore  the  United  States  in  congress  assem- 
bled, have  thought  proper  to  issue  their  proclamation,  and  they  do  hereby  pro- 
hibit and  forbid  all  persons  from  making  settlements  on  lands  inhabited  or 
claimed  by  Indians  without  the  limits  or  jurisdiction  of  any  particular  state, 
and  from  purchasing  or  receiving  any  gift  or  cession  of  such  lands  or  claims, 
without  the  express  authority  and  directions  of  the  United  States  in  congress 
assembled;  and  it  is  moreover  declared,  that  every  such  purchase  or  settle- 
ment, gift  or  cession,  not  having  the  authority  aforesaid,  is  null  and  void,  and 
that  no  right  or  title  will  accrue  in  consequence. 

"  Done  in  congress,  at  Princeton,  this  twenty-second  day  of  September,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-three,  and  of 
our  sovereignty  and  independence  the  eighth. 

"Elias  Boudinot,  President. 

"Charles  Thomson,  Secretary."" 

No  attention  whatever  was  paid  to  this  proclamation.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  settlements  increased  continually  —  so  rapidly  indeed  that  in  less 
than  two  years  the  United  States  found  it  necessary  to  drive  off  the  settlers  by 


Appendix  B.  197 

P.  S. —  You  are  at  liberty  to  make  such  arrangements  in  de- 
livering over  the  stores  to  Captain  Marbury  as  you  shall  find 

force.  To  that  end,  the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs,  on  the  24th  of  Jan- 
uary, 178-\  instructed  Lieut- Col.  Josiah  Harinar,  of  the  first  American  regi- 
ment, to  employ  such  force  as  he  might  judge  necessary  "  in  driving  off  persons 
attempting  to  settle  on  the  lands  of  the  United  States.'"  In  obedience  to 
these  instructions,  that  officer  detached  Ensign  John  Armstrong  with  a  party 
of  twenty  men  furnished  with  fifteen  days'  provisions  to  perform  the  task. 

On  tin?  1st  day  of  May,  Col.  Harmar  wrote  the  president  of  congress,  from 
Fort  Mcintosh,  that  "  Ensign  Armstrong,  having  marched  with  his  party  as 
far  down  as  opposite  Wheeling,  which  is  about  seventy  miles  from  hence,  pur- 
suing the  course  of  the  river,  and  having  executed  his  orders  (excepting  a  few 
indulgences  granted  on  account  of  the  weather),  returned  on  the  12th  ultimo." 
The  colonel  thus  continues:  "  I  have  the  honor  of  inclosing  to  your  excellency 
his  report,  with  sundry  petitions,  handed  him  by  the  settlers;  likewise  the 
opinion  of  some  reputable  inhabitants  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  with 
respect  to  them.  On  the  20th  ultimo,  I  received  the  inclosed  representation, 
signed  by  sixty-six  of  them,  praying  for  a  further  indulgence  of  time,  and  in- 
forming me  that  they  had  sent  on  a  petition  to  congress  on  the  subject.  In 
answer  to  which,  I  thought  it  most  expedient  to  grant  them  one  month  from 
the  21st  ultimo  to  remove  themselves,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  parties 
will  be  detached  to  drive  off  all  settlers  within  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  this  garrison,  which,  in  my  present  situation,  is  all  that 
is  practicable.  The  numb9r  of  settlers  lower  down  the  river  is  very  consider- 
able, and,  from  all  accounts,  daily  increasing.  I  would,  therefore  (before  I 
proceed  further  in  this  business),  beg  to  know  the  pleasure  of  your  excellency 
and  your  particular  orders  upon  the  subject. " 

The  report  of  Ensign  Armstrong  was,  in  substance,  that  he  marched  down 
the  Ohio,  March  31st;  crossed  the  Little  Beaver  on  ihe  1st  of  April;  dispos- 
sessed one  family  at  that  place ;  other  families  at  Yellow  Creek,  at  Mingo  Bot- 
tom, or  Old  Town,  at  Norris's  Town,  at  Haglin's,  or  Mercer's  Town,  and  at  a 
place  opposite  Wheeling;  that  he  arrested  a  man  named  Ross,  who  seemed 
to  be  obstreperous,  and  sent  him  to  Wheeling  in  irons;  that  he  was  threatened 
by  a  man  named  Charles  Norris,  with  a  party  of  armed  men,  but  upon  show- 
ing his  authority  there  was  no  further  offensive  demonstration;  and  that  at 
Mercer's  Town  he  had  learned  that  Charles  Norris  and  John  Carpenter  had 
been  elected  justices  of  the  peace  and  had  acted  as  such. 

The  "opinion  of  the  respectable  inhabitants"  was  explained  by  Ensign 
Armstrong  to  his  colonel : 

,:  As  the  following  information  through  you  to  the  honorable  the  congress 
may  be  of  some  service,  I  trust  you  will  not  be  displeased  therewith.  It  is  the 
opinion  of  many  sensible  men  (with  whom  I  conversed  on  my  return  from 
Wheeling)  that  if  the  honorable  the  congress  do  not  fall  on  some  speedy 
method  to  prevent  people  from  settling  on  the  lands  of  the  United  States 
west  of  the  Ohio,  that  country  will  soon  be  inhabited  by  a  banditti  whose  ac- 
tions are  a  disgrace  to  human  nature. 


19S  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

most   expedient.     If   the  officer  who  now  superintends   the 
stores  shonld  not  continue,  may  I  request  that  you  would  in- 

"  You  will  in  a  few  days  receive  an  address  from  the  magistracy  of  Ohio 
county,  through  which  most  of  those  people  pass,  many  of  whom  are  flying 
from  justice.  I  have,  sir,  taken  some  pains  to  distribute  copies  of  your  in- 
structions, with  those  from  the  honorable  the  commissioners  for  Indian  affairs, 
into  almost  every  settlement  west  of  the  Ohio,  and  had  them  posted  up  at 
most  public  places  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  in  the  neighborhood  through 
which  those  people  pass.  Notwithstanding  they  have  seen  and  read  those  in- 
structions, they  are  moving  to  the  unsettled  countries  by  forties  and  fifties. 
From  the  best  information  I  could  receive,  there  are  at  the  falls  of  the  Hock- 
hocking  upwards  of  three  hundred  families;  at  the  Muskingum,  a  number 
equal. 

"  At  Moravian  Town  there  are  several  families  and  more  than  fifteen  hun- 
dred on  the  rivers  Miami  and  Scioto.  From  Wheeling  to  that  place  there  is 
scarcely  one  bottom  on  the  river  but  has  one  or  more  families  living  thereon. 
In  consequence  of  the  advertisement  by  John  Emerson,  I  am  assured  meet- 
ings will  be  held  at  the  times  therein  mentioned.  That  at  Menzon's  or  Hag- 
lin's  town,  mentioned  in  my  report  of  yesterday,  the  inhabitants  had  come  to 
a  resolution  to  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  the  advertisement." 

The  following  is  "the  advertisement  "  alluded  to: 

"  ADVERTISEMENT. 

"  March  12,  1785. 

"Notice is  hereby  given  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio 
river  that  there  is  to  be  an  election  for  the  choosing  of  members  of  the  con- 
vention for  the  framing  a  constitution  for  the  governing  of  the  inhabitants, 
the  election  to  be  held  on  the  10th  day  of  April  next  ensuing,  viz. :  one  elec- 
tion to  be  held  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river,  and  one  to  be  held  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  river,  and  one  on  the  Muskingum  river,  and  one 
at  the  dwelling  house  of  Jonas  Menzons,  the  members  to  be  chosen  to  meet 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the  same  month. 

"I  do  certify  that  all  mankind,  agreeable  to  every  constitution  formed  in 
America,  have  an  undoubted  right  to  pass  into  every  vacant  country,  and 
there  to  form  their  constitution,  and  that  from  the  confederation  of  the  whole 
United  States  congress  is  not  empowered  to  forbid  them,  neither  is  congress 
empowered  from  that  confederation  to  make  any  sale  of  the  uninhabited  lands 
to  pay  the  public  debts,  which  is  to  be  by  a  tax  levied  and  lifted  [collected] 
by  authority  of  the  legislature  of  each  state.  John   Kmkkson." 

The  "representation  "  mentioned  by  Col.  Harmar  in  his  letter  to  the  presi- 
dent of  congress,  was  to  the  effect  that  the  settlers  desired  to  act  consistent 
with  their  duty  to  their  country  and  the  commands  of  the  legislature,  and  asked 
for  indulgence  in  time  for  removing  their  families  and  effects.  The  petition- 
ers asked  delay  until  they  could  hear  from  their  papers  which  they  had 
forwarded  to  be  laid  before  congress.  Colonel  Harmar  replied,  allowing  the 
indulgence  mentioned  in  his  letter,  but  notifying  them  that  his  orders  were 
peremptory. 


Appendix  B.  199 

form  Captain  Marbury  that  he  must  appoint  an  officer  to  take 
charge  of  them, —  that  officer  to  be  responsible  to  him,  he 
himself  having  the  general  superintendency.1 

On  the  1st  of  June,  Col.  Harmar  wrote  the  secretary  of  war  in  these  words: 

"  The  honorable  the  commissioners  for  Indian  affairs  .  .  .  left  me 
instructions  to  drive  off  all  surveyors  or  settlers  on  the  lands  of  the  United 
States;  in  consequence  of  which,  a  party  has  been  detached,  who  drove  them 
off  as  far  as  seventy  miles  from  this  post.  The  number  lower  down  the  river 
is  immense,  and,  unless  congress  enters  into  immediate  measures,  it  will  be 
impossible  to  prevent  the  lands  being  settled. 

"  I  have  written,  some  time  since,  upon  the  subject,  requesting  particular 
orders  how  to  conduct  myself,  as  it  is  out  of  my  power  to  sweep  them  further 
than  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  hence.  This  is  a  matter  of  so  much  importance,  that  perhaps  you  may 
judge  it  necessary  to  remind  congress  of  it." 

The  letter  was  referred  in  congress  to  a  committee,  who  brought  in  a  report 
approving  the  conduct  of  Colonel  Harmar;  also  authorizing  him  to  remove  his 
troops,  and  take  post  at  or  near  the  Ohio,  between  Muskingum  and  the  Great 
Miami,  "  which  he  shall  conceive  most  advisable  for  further  carrying  into  ef- 
fect the  before  mentioned  orders,"  and  appropriating  six  hundred  dollars  for 
the  purpose  of  transporting  the  troops  and  their  baggage.  It  was  under  this 
order  that  Fort  Harmar  was  erected  near  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum. 

At  the  commencement  of  October,  Gen.  Richard  Butler,  passing  down  the 
Ohio  to  hold  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river,  found 
settlements  at  intervals  on  the  Indian  side  of  the  Ohio  from  the  mouth  of 
Yellow  creek  well  nigh  opposite  that  of  the  Great  Kanawha.  Butler  did  what 
he  could  on  his  downward  trip  to  warn  off  the  persistent  settlers,  giving 
orders  to  one  of  the  army  officers  who  was  also  to  descend  the  river  to  the 
Muskingum,  "  to  pull  down  every  house  on  his  way,"  some  of  those  recently 
demolished  having  already  been  rebuilt  by  the  determined  bordermen. 

But,  was  the  "course  of  empire  "  which  had  so  persistently  taken  "its 
way"  beyond  the  Ohio,  completely  arrested  by  the  United  States  authorities? 
Were  a  11  the  settlers  from  "  Little  Beaver  "to  the  "  Wabash  "  driven  off? 
These  are  questions  for  the  future  historians  of  "the  territory  northwest  of 
the  river  Ohio"  to  answer  —  if  they  can.  But  this  much  is  certain:  no  con- 
stitution for  governing  the  inhabitants  was  framed;  the  new  state  scheme 
beyond  the  Ohio  came  to  naught. 

1  This  letter  was  received  by  General  Irvine  at  Fort  Pitt  on  the  26th  of 
September  —  only  four  days  before  his  final  departure  from  that  post.  See 
Appendix  M, —  Irvine  to  Marbury,  October  1,  1783. 


APPENDIX  C. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  FINANCE. 


I. —  Morris  to  Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  March  6.  17S2. 

Sir: — I  have  examined  the  letters  and  accounts  which  you 
submitted  to  my  inspection,  relative  to  supplies  furnished  at 
Fort  Pitt  by  Mr.  [John]  Irwin,  the  deputy  commissary  general 
of  issues.  In  consequence,  I  have  directed  Mr.  Swanwick  to 
pay  you  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars  to  purchase  the  seven 
thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-three  pounds  of  flour 
and  eight  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds  of  beef  mentioned 
in  that  account;  and  I  will  direct  the  quartermaster  to  forward 
the  salt. 

I  must  request,  sir,  that  whoever  you  may  employ  to  pur- 
chase those  articles,  be  directed  to  make  out  proper  and  regu- 
lar accounts  of  the  transaction  with  proper  vouchers  to  pass  at 
the  public  offices,  and  that  they  may  be  duly  transmitted  to  me 
in  order  to  have  the  same  adjusted. 


II. —  Morris  to    Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  March  6,  1782. 
Sir: — The  letter  which  yon  wrote  to  the  honorable  secre- 
tary at  war  the  20th  ultimo,  has  been  laid  before  me  and  the 
contents  duly  considered.     The  uncertainty  of  the  militia  ser- 

1  Robert  Morris  was  superintendent  of  the  finances  of  the  United  States,  at 
the  above  date.  He  was  born  the  20th  of  January,  1734,  in  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land. He  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  thirteen.  In  the  course  of 
time,  he  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits  in  Philadelphia.  At  the  close  of  the 
y.?ar  1775,  he  was  sent  to  congress  from  Pennsylvania.  He  was  unani- 
mously elected  by  that  body  general  financier,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1781, 
and  continued  in  office  until  September  30,  1784.  He  died  in  great  pecuniary 
embarrassment,  in  Philadelphia,  May  8,  1806. 


Ajppendix  C.  201 

vice  you  mention  appears  to  be  so  great  that  I  know  not  how 
any  regular  and  permanent  provision  can  he  made  for  the 
supplies,  when  they  are  called  to  act  beyond  the  bounds  of  the 
post  at  Fort  Pitt.  I  must  request,  therefore,  that  when  any 
are  called  out  for  continental  purposes  and  employed  where 
the  present  contract  cannot  provide  for  them,  that  you  will 
yourself  enter  into  engagements  for  supplying  them  with  pro- 
visions on  the  most  frugal  terms  practicable,  and  I  will  cause 
those  engagements  to  be  complied  with. 


III. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  29,  17S2. 
Sir: — When  I  arrived  at  this  post,  the  contractors'  stock  of 
provisions  was  nearly'  exhausted  and  not  a  shilling  or  credit  to 
purchase  any  more.  Under  these  present  circumstances,  I 
could  not  think  of  any  other  alternative  than  to  lend  them  three 
hundred  pounds  which  I  found  could  be  spared  out  of  money 
I  drew  from  the  quartermaster  general,  for  a  few  weeks,  as  we 
could  go  on  in  the  mean  time.  They  promised  to  repay  it  by  the 
tenth  of  Mayr,  as  they  thought  one  of  them  could  be  back  from 
Philadelphia  by  that  time.  They  have  sent  a  person  into  Vir- 
ginia to  buy  beef  cattle;  should  he  fail,  I  know  not  what  we 
shall  or  can  do.  There  is  no  beef  in  this  country.  These  peo- 
ple neglected  their  business  entirely  in  not  laying  up  salted 
pork  in  the  winter,  which  might  have  been  done  with  great 
ease.  Should  any  more  troops  come  up,  they  will  not  be  able 
to  supply  them  unless  money  is  advanced  them.  I  could  not 
get  a  single  person  in  the  whole  country  who  would  undertake 
to  provide  provisions  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  militia,  even 
for  the  term  of  one  month;  indeed,  no  man  has  credit  sufficient. 

I  am  greatly  nonplussed  on  this  account,  as  this  number  is  in- 
dispensably necessary  to  be  kept  up  on  the  frontier  of  Wash- 
ington county  to  keep  the  whole   county  from  flying.     Mr. 

II  u  finagle  has  engaged  with  [the  supreme  executive]  council 
[of  Pennsylvania"]  to  find  the  militia  of  Westmoreland  for  the 
present.  The  number  I  have  called  from  that  county  is  only 
sixty-five.      The   whole   of   the   militia   ordered   out   by   me 


"02  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

amounts  (including  officers)  to  two  hundred  and  sixty;  but  as 
I  presume  they  will  never  be  quite  complete,  I  count  on  about 
two  hundred  rations  daily.  They  are  at  present  billeted,  but 
this  by  no  means  answers,  nor  can  it  be  done  long.  Since  I 
came  up,  I  have  given  permits  to  ten  boats  for  New  Orleans 
and  Kentucky,  loaded  with  flour.  I  believe  none  of  them 
carried  less  than  thirty  tons.  I  am  informed  ten  or  twelve 
more  are  to  be  down  in  one  fleet  of  a  much  larger  size.  I 
think  there  will  not  much  flour  be  left  in  the  country  by  the 
middle  of  May.  By  that  time  or  the  first  of  June,  the  mills 
cease  for  want  of  water.  I  wish  some  of  these  adventurers 
may  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  It  is  reported  (but 
I  know  not  by  what  authority)  that  the  British  have  again 
taken  possession  of  the  Illinois  country;  if  so,  they  will  un- 
doubtedly make  a  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio;  these  boats 
will  be  a  great  object  for  them.  Should  any  such  event  act- 
ually have  taken  place,  I  will  advise  the  adventurers  thereof 
and  shall  also  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  acquainting  you. 


IY. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  2,  17S2. 

Sir: — I  did  myself  the  honor  to  write  to  you  the  29th  ult. 
Since  that  time  the  contractors  have  got  up  from  Virginia 
thirty  head  of  cattle,  purchased  with  the  money  I  lent  them, 
which  will  not  last  more  than  thirty  days  for  the  present  gar- 
rison. If  one  of  these  gentlemen  is  not  up  here  with  money 
to  purchase  more  before  the  expiration  of  that  time,  I  cannot 
say  what  the  consequences  may  be.  The  troops  are  not  in  a 
temper  to  bear  much  hunger,  though  they  have  been  pretty 
well  tried  too  frequently.  For  seven  days  together  the  latter 
end  of  April,  they  had  not  an  ounce  of  meat.  As  Mr.  Duncan 
will  hand  this  to  you,  he  can  inform  you  what  their  prospects 
are,  and  whether  they  can  do  the  business  or  not.  This,  how- 
ever, I  think  incumbent  upon  me  to  repeat,  that  they  cannot 
without  ready  money  procure   provisions  even  for  a  day. 

Inclosed  are  vouchers  for  the  money  you  gave  me  to 
pay  for  provisions,  borrowed  for  the  use  of  the  public  by  Mr. 


Appendix  C.  W3 

John  Irwin;  this  business  has  been  transacted  on  the  best 
terms  I  could.  The  balance  shall  be  disposed  of  as  you  think 
proper  to  order. 


V. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  9,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  have  contracted  with  a  Mr.  Thomas  Parkison  to 
provide  provisions  for  the  militia  of  Washington  county  who 
may  be  drawn  out  into  actual  service.1  The  price  for  a  ration 
the  same  as  the  contractors  for  this  post  have,  which  is  the 
lowest  I  could  get  anybody  to  undertake  it  for.  I  gave 
Messrs.  II u finagle  and  Duncan  the  preference,  but  they  asked 

1  The  contract  was  as  follows  : 

"  Article  of  agreement  indented  and  concluded  on  at  Fort  Pitt,  this  3d  day 
of  May,  1782,  between  William  Irvine,  Esq.,  brigadier  general  (by  authority 
invested  in  him  by  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris,  Esq.,  superintendent  of 
finance),  of  the  one  part,  and  Captain  Thomas  Parkison,  of  Washington 
county,  state  of  Pennsylvania,  of  the  other  part,  witnesseth: 

"That  said  Parkison  for  the  consideration  hereinafter  mentioned  doth 
hereby  for  himself,  his  executors  and  administrators,  promise  and  agree  to, 
and  with  General  Irvine  to  furnish  and  issue  rations  to  the  militia  of  the 
county  aforesaid,  called  out  into  actual  service  by  order  of  General  Irvine  and 
stationed  at  the  following  places,  namely:  at  Montour's  bottom,  Yellow  creek, 
Mingo  bottom,  and  Wheeling  or  Grave  creek;  the  ration  to  consist  of  one 
pound  of  flour  and  one  pound  of  fresh  beef  or  pork  or  three  quarters  of  a 
pound  of  salt  meat.  Two  quarts  of  salt  are  to  be  issued  to  every  hundred 
rations  of  fresh  meat.  And  General  Irvine  agrees  on  his  part  to  allow  said 
Parkison  eleven  pence  half  penny  for  every  such  ration  issued  by  him,  and 
is  to  use  his  best  endeavors  with  the  superintendent  of  finance  to  procure 
money  for  the  payment  of  the  same  at  the  end  of  two  months  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  issue,  which  is  to  be  the  tenth  instant. 

"Said  Parkison's  vouchers  for  rations  issued  -are  to  be  returned  signed  twice 
every  week  by  commissioned  officers  commanding  the  company  or  parties; 
which  provisions  and  weekly  returns  are  to  be  examined  and  compared  by  a 
field  officer  on  duty  having  charge  of  the  militia  then  in  service ;  whose  cer- 
tificate [must  also  be  obtained]  and  also  that  of  the  county  lieutenant  or  sub- 
lieutenant that  so  many  militia  of  said  county  were  in  actual  service  at  that 
time  by  the  general's  order  —  for  the  number  of  days  of  whatever  month, — 
the  returns  and  certificates  to  be  dated  and  clear,  which  certificates  and  re- 
turns or  duplicates  must  be  lodged  with  General  Irvine. 

"  For  the  true  performance  of  the  above  agreement,  said  Captain  Thomas 
Parkison  doth  bind  himself,  his  executors  and  administrators  (in  case  of  fail- 


QOJf.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

twice  that  sum.  Mr.  Parkison  has  engaged  to  do  the  business 
on  his  own  credit  for  two  months,  to  commence  the  tenth 
instant.  On  the  tenth  of  July,  I  have  promised  him  a  pay- 
ment which  will  enable  him  to  go  on  as  long  as  we  shall  want 
militia  for  this  campaign.  I  hope  you  will  direct  measures  to 
enable  me  to  comply  with  this  engagement.  I  cannot  yet 
ascertain  exactly  the  number  of  rations  Mr.  Parkison  will  have 
to  issue,  but  think  they  will  not  exceed  one  hundred  daily.  I  will 
take  every  possible  precaution  to  prevent  unfair  practices  in  this 
business.  Mr.  Huffnagle  at  present  supplies  the  militia  of 
Westmoreland  county,  under  a  contract  made  with  [the 
supreme  executive]  council  [of  Pennsylvania],  but  as  I  have 
called  sixty  men  from  that  county  into  actual  service,  I  pre- 
sume the  feeding  them  will  ultimately  become  a  continental 
charge. 


YI. —  Irvine  to  Mokris. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  10,  1782. 
Sir: — I  did  not  receive  your  letter  of  the  4th  of  April  till 
yesterday  by  Mr.  [John]  Canon.1  I  shall  always  be  happy  in 
having  it  in  my  power  to  render  service  to  the  United  States 
in  any  line.  1  will  appoint  the  agent  you  mention  for  in- 
specting and  receiving  Hour,  etc.,  as  soon  as  I  see  a  probability 
of  that  business  being  worthy  of  attention;  till  then  such  an 
appointment  would  be  unnecessary  expense.  At  present  I  am 
sorry  to  inform  you  that  the  people  of  this  country  seem  little 
disposed  to  pay  taxes  in  any  mode  ;  and  I  fear  Mr.  Canon  will 
either  find  himself    much   disappointed  in    his    expectations 

ure),  in  the  penal  sum  of  three  hundred  pounds  specie,  to  be  paid  unto  the 
Honorable  Robert  Morris,  Esq.,  superintendent  of  finance,  in  behalf  of  the 
United  States. 

"  In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  affixed  our  seals 

this  3d  day  of  May,  17d2. 

4i  Thomas  Pakkison,     [seal.] 

"  W'n.i. i am  Irvine.      [seal. ] 
"Signed,  sealed,  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 

"John  Rose." 
1  For  ;i  biographical  notice  of  Canon,  see  Appendix  J, —  Marshel  to  Irvine, 
July  12,  1782,  note. 


Appendix  C.  205 

respecting  flour,  or  he  meant  to  deceive,  which  I  will  not 
undertake  to  say.1  Be  this  as  it  may,  I  am  of  opinion  it 
would  he  best  to  receive  every  ounce  that  is  offered,  whether 
in  casks,  as  you  direct,  or  not,  as  I  look  on  it  in  a  manner  as 
clear  gain.  Under  this  idea,  would  it  not  be  best  also  for  me 
to  authorize  Mr.  Parkison  to  receive  common  flour  from  the 
inhabitants,  provided  it  does  not  exceed  the  quantity  of  rations 
he  may  have  to  issue,  as  it  will  be  some  time  before  any  can  be 
got  in  (the  county  commissioners  having  only  met  yesterday 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  a  tax)?     Your  instructions  to  me  on 

1  What  these  expectations  were  may  be  inferred  from  the  subjoined  letter: 
"Office  of  Finance,  Philadelphia,  April  4,  1782. 

"  Sir: — As  you  have  frequently  represented  how  convenient  and  agreeable 
it  would  be  to  the  inhabitants  of  Washington  county  to  pay  the  amount  of 
their  taxes  assessed  by  the  late  supply  bill  in  flour  delivered  at  Fort  Pitt  at 
the  market  price,  and  as  I  am  not  only  disposed  to  accommodate  them  but 
think  such  deliveries  may  be  of  use  to  the  United  States,  I  do  hereby  agree 
to  receive  any  quantity  of  good,  sound,  sweet  and  merchantable  flour  which 
the  inhabitants  of  Washington  county  may  send  to  that  post,  packed  in  casks 
fit  for  transportation;  the  said  flour  to  be  delivered  to  Brigadier  General 
Irvine,  or  to  such  person  as  he  may  appoint  to  receive  it,  the  quality  to  be  in- 
spected, approved,  and  the  price  of  flour  and  casks  fixed  by  such  person;  and, 
in  case  of  dispute  about  the  quality  or  price  of  any  parcel  of  flour  offered  at 
Fort  Pitt  in  consequence  of  this  agreement,  then  the  said  person  shall  choose 
one  arbitrator,  an  honest,  capable  man,  the  party  offering  the  flour  shall 
choose  another,  these  two  shall  choose  a  third,  and  the  three  shall  determine 
whether  the  flour  is  merchantable  or  not.  If  adjudged  merchantable,  they 
shall  also  say  what  price  is  to  be  paid  for  the  same,  never  exceeding  the 
market  price.  If  adjudged  unmerchantable,  it  is  not  to  be  received  on  ac- 
count of  the  United  States. 

"  The  whole  deliveries  are  not  to  exceed  in  value  the  amount  of  the  quota  of 
taxes  assigned  to  Washington  county,  namely:  eight  thousand  and  seventy- 
five  pounds  and  one  shilling,  Pennsylvania  currency ;  and  for  the  amount  of 
every  parcel  or  quantity  of  flour  received  for  the  use  of  the  United  States, 
General  Irvine  will  give  a  certificate  to  me  of  the  quantity  of  flour  and  the 
amount  thereof,  which  may  be  transmitted  to  the  state  treasurer,  and  I  will 
receive  the  same  from  him  as  so  much  money  on  account  of  the  taxes  of 
Washington  county. 

"  You  will  ever  find  me  disposed  to  serve  and  oblige  the  faithful  citizens  of 
the  United  States  in  every  instance  which  consists  with  my  duty. 

"  Robert  Morris. 

"  P.  S. —  Every  cask  of  flour  must  be  branded  with  the  miller's  name  or 
mill-brand,  and  be  well  coopered.  R.  M. 

"  John  Canon,  Esq.,  representative  in  assembly  for  Washington  county." 


W6  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

that  head  shall  he  as  punctually  complied  with  as  possihle.  I 
am  further  of  opinion  that  every  species  of  provision  should 
be  received,  provided  any  of  the  contractors  will  accept  of  it  at 
the  prices  which  it  may  be  received  at. 

The  seasons  for  transporting  flour  from  this  country  to  New 
Orleans  are  from  the  middle  of  February  till  the  first  of  June; 
and  from  the  first  of  November  till  the  last  of  December;  at 
other  times  the  river  is  either  too  low  or  frozen.  A  boat 
which  will  carry  forty  tons  costs  about  forty  pounds;  five  men 
with  a  super-cargo  are  enough  to  work  the  boat.  One  super- 
cargo might  do  for  a  number  of  boats,  being  practicable  to 
keep  in  fleets.  Boatmen  generally  get  from  three  to  four 
pounds  per  month. 

VII.  —  Morris  to  Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  May  29,  1782. 

Sir: — I  have  been  honored  with  your  several  favors  of  the 
twenty-ninth  of  April  and  of  the  ninth  and  tenth  instant.  I 
read  to  the  contractors  so  much  of  the  first  as  related  to  them, 
and  although  they  did  not  absolutely  confess  but  rather  sought 
to  evade  the  charge,  I  could  clearly  perceive  that  it  was  well 
founded.  I  have  paid  them  fully  and  therefore  they  must 
repay  the  money  advanced  to  them;  and  I  hope  you  will  take 
care  that  they  comply  exactly  with  their  contract. 

I  am  glad  that  you  gave  permission  to  the  boats  to  carry 
down  flour.  The  opening  of  a  market  for  that  article  is  the  sure 
and  certain  means  of  rendering  it  plenty  and  cheap  there  here- 
after. I  am  very  sorry,  however,  to  find  that  the  people  are 
so  unwilling  to  pay  taxes  when  their  immediate  preservation, 
as  well  as  interest,  are  so  deeply  concerned;  but  I  hope  they 
will  learn  better  and  thereby  avoid  the  disagreeable  conse- 
quences which  might  ensue.  Mr.  Canon,  from  his  manner  of 
speaking  to  me,  did,  I  believe,  expect  that  the  taxes  would 
have  been  paid  in  the  manner  I  mentioned  to  you,  but  whether 
he  was  himself  deceived  or  meant  to  deceive  me,  the  fact  is 
equally  disagreeable.1     I  heartily  approve  your  idea  of  receiv- 

1  Further  developments  showed  conclusively  that  Mr.  Canon  was  acting  in 
the  utmost  good  faith. 


Appendix  C.  W7 

ing  whatever  provisions  may  be  offered  and  hope  that  some- 
thing considerable  may  be  done  in  that  way. 

Your  contract  with  Mr.  Parkison  shall  be  carried  into  effect 
on  the  part  of  government.  It  will  be  necessary  that  you 
transmit  a  certified  copy  of  it  to  me;  and  I  will  thereupon 
certify  the  previous  authority  given  to  you  and  my  assent, 
after  which  the  whole  shall  be  recorded  in  the  proper  offices. 
When  Mr.  Parkison  has  made  the  issues,  the  mode  of  doing 
which  you  will  point  out  to  him,  his  accounts  and  vouchers 
must  be  sent  to  the  treasury,  and  the  amount  being  certified  to 
me,  shall  be  paid. 

I  pray,  sir,  that  you  will  accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  your 
care  and  attention.  Be  assured  of  every  support  in  my 
power. 

VIII. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  5,  1782. 

Sir: — The  bearer,  Mr.  Wilson,  goes  to  Philadelphia  with 
the  contractors'  accounts  for  May  and  June.  I  have  brought 
them  to  a  strict  account  as  to  what  their  prospects  are  for 
a  regular  supply  in  future.  They  acknowledge  they  have 
doubts  of  being  able  to  procure  supplies  till  Mr.  "Wilson 
returns,  unless  he  is  very  speedy.  I  believe  they  have  not 
money  and  am  certain  they  cannot  get  credit;  so  that  I  have 
every  reason  to  fear  the  worst  consequences. 

Should  they  fail  altogether,  I  have  no  alternative  at  present 
but  to  try  to  obtain  a  temporary  supply  on  my  own  credit; 
but  as  this  is  a  business  I  do  not  wish  to  have  anything  to  do 
with,  and  am  sensible  I  should  not  interfere,  except  in  a  case 
of  the  most  urgent  necessity,  I  shall  be  much  obliged  for 
your  directions  how  to  act.  I  do  not  expect  any  considerable 
supply  on  account  of  taxes  before  the  last  of  October,  if  even 
then.  I  have  written  council  [the  supreme  executive  council 
of  Pennsylvania]  on  this  subject  to  inform  them  of  the  dis- 
position of  the  people;  and  have  urged  several  officers  of 
civil  government  to  make  immediate  representations,  whom  it 
will  come  most  properly  from;  but  I  fear  some  of  them  are 
tainted  with  a  desire  to  promote  setting  up  a  new  state. 


*208  Washington— Irvine   Correspondence. 


IX. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  22,  17S2. 

Sir: — Mr.  Wilson  returned  without  an  answer  to  my  letter 
of  the  5th  of  July.  I  presume  it  may  not  be  unnecessary  to 
inform  you  that  Messrs.  Iluffnagle  and  Duncan  seem  unde- 
termined whether  they  will  enter  into  a  contract  for  the 
ensuing  year  or  not;  Mr.  Iluffnagle  rather  positively  told  me 
he  would  not. 

There  is  not  the  smallest  prospect  of  provision  being  got 
in  for  taxes.  The  county  commissioners  or  assessors  have  not 
done  anything  towards,  laying  a  tax.  I  am  sorry  to  give  you 
so  much  trouble  in  this  business,  but  think  it  highly  proper 
you  should  be  apprised  of  it. 


X. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  23,  1782. 

Sir: —  This  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Mr.  Thomas  Parkison, 
together  with  his  accounts  and  vouchers,  for  rations  furnished 
the  militia  of  Washington  county,  under  my  orders,  and  also 
a  copy  of  his  agreement  with  me. 

The  nature  of  the  service  the  militia  are  employed  on,  par- 
ticularly being  so  far  detached  and  in  such  small  parties, 
renders  it  altogether  impracticable  to  obtain  either  returns  or 
certificates  so  accurate  as  I  could  wish  and  alluded  to  in  the 
contract;  yet  I  am  persuaded  from  many  concurring  circum- 
stances, the  number  of  rations  he  charges  has  been  fairly 
issued,  namely:  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-one.  I 
am  certain  more  men  have  been  out  on  duty  than  he  has 
charged  rations  for,  many  of  whom  have  been  fed  by  frontier 
inhabitants  at  whose  houses  they  were  quartered.  Every  pos- 
sible step  has  been  taken  to  prevent  fraud  in  this  business, 
and  I  am  of  opinion  the  endeavors  have  been  successful. 

I  hope  I  shall  not  be  under  a  necessity  of  keeping  any 
militia  out  longer  than  the  first  of  October.  The  whole  ex- 
pense will  be  small  when  compared  with  that  of  former  years; 
and  I  flatter  myself  not  less  real  service  has  been  performed. 


Appendix  C.  209 


XL— -  Morris  to  Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  September  5,  1782. 

Sir:  — I  have  received  your  several  letters  of  the  5th  July 
and  22d  and  23d  of  August.  I  had  intended  answering  the 
first  by  Mr.  Wilson,  who  brought  it.  I  was,  by  the  time  of 
his  setting  out,  incapacitated  from  doing  it.  I  am  very  sorry 
to  find  the  state  of  the  country  you  are  in,  to  be  such  as  you 
represent  it,  but  I  conceive  your  representations  are  correct 
and  require  the  serious  attention  of  government. 

Mr.  Parkison's  accounts  are  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  officers 
and  will  be  duly  attended  to.  I  am  very  much  obliged  by  your 
attention  to  the  public  business.  I  am  persuaded  that  it  has 
been  very  great  and  useful.  I  know  not  as  yet  what  deter- 
mination will  be  taken  with  respect  to  the  savages  in  your 
.quarter,  but  I  hope  no  more  militia  will  be  found  necessary, 
for  they  create  a  very  great  expense  and  answer  very  little 
purpose.  And  what  aggravates  the  matter  still  more  is  the 
consideration  that  after  all  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  that 
country,  as  we  are  lately  informed,  only  wait  a  favorable  mo- 
ment to  disown  the  government  they  now  sue  to  for  protec- 
tion. 


XII. —  Morris  to  Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  October  3,  1782. 
Sir:  —  Your  favor  dated  at  Fort  Pitt,  on  the  12th  of  last 
month,  has  been  delivered  by  Mr.  Perry.  Colonel  [Ephraim] 
Blaine  *  having  assumed  the  contract  for  supplying  the  troops 
at  Fort  Pitt  until  the  first  of  January  next,  I  have  proposed 
to  Mr.  Perry  to  join  him  in  it,  expecting  from  his  influence 
and  credit  beneficial  results. 


1  For  notice  of  Col.  Blaine,  see  Appendix  M, —  Blaine  to  Irvine,  April  2, 
1783,  note. 
14 


UO  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XIII. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  1,  1783. 

Sir:  —  A  tedious  fit  of  the  rheumatism  has  prevented  me 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  7th  of  October, 
1782,  however  anxious  I  was  to  state  to  you  an  account  of  the 
sum  transmitted  to  me  by  the  council  of  Pennsylvania,  sub- 
jected to  your  orders. 

As  the  first  intimation  of  any  expedition  I  received,  I  was 
urged  to  use  the  utmost  exertions  to  march  on  a  certain  day 
fixed.  The  orders  countermanding  the  execution  of  these 
operations  and  your  letter,  did  not  arrive  for  a  long  time 
afterwards.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  council  of  this 
state  could  justly  not  expect  that  money  destined  for  a  piece 
of  service  so  much  pressed  should  remain  unappropriated  in 
my  hands  for  such  a  length  of  time.  By  a  cautious  assiduity 
—  by  a  lucky  combination  of  circumstances  —  by  transferring 
such  purchases  of  provisions  as  were  actually  paid  for  to  the 
contractor  at  the  original  cost, —  the  expenses  incurred  have 
been  comparatively  trifling. 

The  messenger  from  council,  Colonel  Carnahan,  delivered 
me  fourteen  hundred  eighty-two  pounds  five  shillings  and  a 
penny,  and  the  cash  now  in  my  hands  amounts  to  twelve  hun- 
dred twent}T-four  pounds  six  shillings  and  ten  pence.  I  am, 
besides,  possessed  of  obligations  on  the  contractor  for  two 
hundred  thirty-six  pounds  seven  shillings,  which  sum  you  will 
please  to  deduct  from  the  payment  due  Colonel  Ephraim 
Blaine,  for  the  supplies  furnished  this  post  for  November  and 
December,  1782.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania,  consequently, 
will  receive  credit  for  fourteen  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  thir- 
teen shillings  and  ten  pence.  I  shall  transmit  to  the  council 
an  account  of  the  other  unavoidable  expenses. 

This  transferring  the  purchases  of  provisions  to  the  con- 
tractor did  prove  a  fortunate  accident  to  this  garrison.  It 
prevented  a  total  want,  which  to  anticipate  would  not  have 
been  in  his  power,  being  destitute  of  ready  cash.  Our  situa- 
tion with  respect  to  provisions  still  continues  critical.  The 
quantity  of  meat  laid   in  will  supply  this  post  eighteen  or 


Appendix  C.  %11 

twenty  days,  and  flour  is  procured  with  the  utmost  difficulty, 
as  the  temporary  exigencies  call  for  it.  The  arrival  of  Mr. 
Alex'r  Blaine  last  night,  removes  this  uneasiness  in  some 
measure, —  having  had  no  previous  intimation  by  whom  this 
post  would  be  supplied  with  provisions  in  future. 

I  am  in  hopes  the  state  of  my  health  will  permit  me  to  un- 
dertake a  journey  to  Carlisle  in  the  beginning  of  February. 
Should  you  intend  to  give  any  orders  upon  me  for  the  money 
in  my  hands,  I  beg  to  be  favored  with  them  before  that  time. 


XIV. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  17,  1783. 

Sir: — John  Pierce,  Esq.,  paymaster  general,  informs  me  in 
a  letter  dated  November  29,  1782,  which  I  received  yesterday, 
that  in  consequence  of  his  application  to  you  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  officers  at  this  garrison  to  be  ordered  from  the 
money  in  my  hands,  he  had  received  a  draft  on  John  Swan- 
wick  for  five  hundred  thirty-eight  dollars  and  twelve-nine- 
tieths, dated  November  20th,  1782,  payable  to  him  or  his 
order  on  the  31st  of  December  last.  As  this  order  does  not 
particularly  specify  the  money  in  my  hands,  and  as  I  am  in 
doubt  for  what  purposes  you  might  intend  it,  I  shall  defer 
complying  with  his  demand  until  the  middle  of  February  next, 
against  which  time  your  orders  will  easily  reach  me,  if  you 
think  proper  to  countermand  the  payment  being  made  by  me. 

By  this  measure,  I  expect  to  prevent  occasioning  unneces- 
sary trouble,  in  case  you  approve  of  it.  I  also  wish  not  to 
thwart  your  views;  but  the  urgent  necessities  of  the  officers, 
particularly  those  who,  by  the  new  arrangement  of  the  army, 
are  obliged  to  give  up  their  commands,  are  such  that  I  think 
it  unavoidable  to  satisfy  the  demand  and  impossible  to  put  off 
the  payment  beyond  the  time  mentioned,  as  they  then  at  far- 
thest must  return  to  their  respective  homes.  Nor  can  I  per- 
suade myself  that  the  difference  could  be  material  where  the 
money  is  reserved;  and  I  should  rather  be  inclined  to  think 
that  this  sum,  if  it  is  kept  unappropriated  by  me,  may  be  ren- 
dered of  more  immediate  use  whilst  retained  in  vour  own 


..'J.J  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

hands.  Your  silence  on  this  head  will  convince  me  of  your 
approbation,  in  which  case  you  will  please  to  remark  that  the 
amount  of  the  sum  mentioned  for  the  subsistence  of  this  post 
is  to  be  deducted  from  the  amount  of  the  cash  remaining  in 
my  hands,  as  delivered  to  you  in  my  letter  of  January  1st. 

Unacquainted  with  the  terms  upon  which  the  garrison  is 
supplied  with  provisions  by  the  present  contractor,  I  could 
wish  to  be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  his  contract. 


XY. —  Mokkis  to  Irvine. 

Office  of  Finance,  March  14,  1783. 

Sir: —  I  have  received  your  several  letters  of  the  first  Jan- 
uary, 12th  of  February  and  6th  of  March.  Lieutenant  Hose 
is  now  engaged  in  settlement  of  the  accounts,  which  will,  I 
suppose,  be  speedily  adjusted.  Whatever  balance  may  be 
found  due  will  be  payable  to  Mr.  Hilligas  by  you  on  a  warrant 
in  his  favor.  You  will  discharge  that  by  buying  the  bills  of 
the  paymaster  at  Fort  Pitt  on  the  paymaster  general,  or  the 
orders  I  may  have  issued  on  Mr.  Swanwick  and  which  you 
shall  find  in  that  quarter.  These  can  be  remitted  to  me.  I 
will  cause  receipts  to  be  made  on  the  warrant  above  mentioned 
so  as  to  fully  adjust  the  matter. 

As  to  the  object  of  contingencies  which  your  aid  mentioned 
to  me,  the  proper  mode  is  for  you  as  commander  in  the  depart- 
ment to  issue  your  special  warrants  on  the  paymaster,  men- 
tioning in  them  the  service  for  which  they  are  issued.  The 
other  matters  he  was  charged  with  being  in  the  war  department, 
I  directed  him  to  apply  to  General  Lincoln,  who  will,  I  dare  say, 
do  anything  which  shall  be  proper.  Before  I  close  this  letter, 
permit  me  to  express  the  sense  I  entertain  of  your  attention 
to  the  public  service  and  interest.  Accept  my  thanks  for 
them,  together  with  the  best  wishes  for  the  speedy  and  perfect 
re-establishment  of  your  health. 


\}>j><)idix  0.  J/J 


XVI. —  Irvine  to  Morris. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  6,  1783. 
Sir: — The  balance  of  the  public  money,  subject  to  your 
order  remaining  in  my  hands,  after  a  settlement  at  your 
office,  amounted  to  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-six 
dollars,  seventy- ninetieths,  specie.  Lieutenant  Rose  will  pre- 
sent you  the  bills  drawn  on  the  paymaster  general  for  the 
payment  of  the  troops  and  the  subsistence  of  the  garrison, 
amounting  in  full  for  the  sum  mentioned.  For  the  final  ad- 
justment of  the  matter,  you  will  please  to  order  receipts  to  be 
given  on  a  warrant  in  favor  of  Mr.  Hilligas  as  directed  by 
you  in  a  letter  dated  the  14th  of  March,  1783. 


APPENDIX  D. 


JOHN  PIERCE,  PAYMASTER  GENERAL,  TO  IRVINE. 


Philadelphia,  January  12,  1782. 

Sir: — The  superintendent  of  finance  has  agreed  to  pay  the 
officers'  subsistence  money,  at  the  end  of  each  month,  which 
I  shall  forward  to  your  department  as  it  becomes  due.  You 
will  oblige  me  by  desiring  any  trusty  officer  who  may  come 
this  way,  and  will  return,  to  call  on  me,  as  I  am  fearful  my 
opportunities  may  not  be  frequent  for  sending  it.  I  wish  also 
that  the  musters  may  be  taken  for  every  person  entitled  to  re- 
ceive pay  or  rations  as  early  as  possible  at  the  end  of  each 
month  and  transmitted  to  me  in  this  city.  I  have  given  into 
Mr.  Tannehill's  hands  the  money  for  the  rations  for  January, 
who  will  want  the  musters  for  that  month  before  he  can  make 
a  payment. 

As  to  pay,  I  am  not  instructed  to  say  when  it  may  be 
expected,  but  can  assure  you  that  the  troops  at  Fort  Pitt  will 
have  the  same  attention  paid  them  as  the  rest  of  the  army. 

You  will  oblige  me  by  informing  me  who  would  be  a  proper 
person  to  consign  my  business  to  in  the  department.  Mr. 
Tannehill  appears  to  me  a  proper  person,  but  as  I  am  unac- 
quainted with  him  and  you  have  an  opportunity  of  observing 
his  conduct,  I  wish  you  would  please  to  write  me  on  the 
subject. 

II. 

Philadelphia,  May  30,  1782. 
Sir: — I  have  sent  by  the  bearer,  three  months'  subsistence 
agreeable  to  your  estimate  for  the  troops  at  Fort  Pitt.     Had 
money  been  plenty  here  a  larger  supply  would  have  been  for- 


Appendix  I).  816 

warded.  Another  regulation  has  taken  place  in  regard  to  sub- 
sistence, which  I  suppose  you  have  received.  As  your 
situation  is  so  distant,  I  think  it  cannot  take  place  before  the 
1st  of  June.  I  am  much  obliged  for  the  estimate,  and  will 
thank  you  for  another  when  I  again  send  on  money. 

When  money  is  sent  on  for  the  pay  of  the  troops,  I  shall 
take  measures  proper  for  the  purpose;  but  the  allowance  to 
Mr.  Tannehill,  for  his  present  trouble,  I  cannot  ascertain.  It 
will  be  best  for  him  to  make  a  reasonable  charge  in  addition 
to  his  other  pay  and  obtain  your  certificate;  as  you  are  best 
acquainted  with  the  trouble  of  the  business.  Congress  will 
not  admit  of  any  establishment  for  the  purpose. 


III. 

Philadelphia,  September  2,  1782. 
Sir: —  In  answer  to  yours  of  the  23d  ultimo,  I  beg  leave  to 
inform  you  that  our  treasury  is  so  far  exhausted  that  it  will 
not  be  possible  to  transmit  your  garrison  any  subsistence 
money  at  this  moment,  but  shall  endeavor  to  do  it  soon.  Are 
you  not  mistaken  that  there  is  not  more  money  in  your  chest 
than  will  pay  August?  The  balance  which  appears  to  be  on 
hand  with  Mr.  Tannehill  is  now  six  hundred  and  twenty-one 
dollars,  which  will  amount  to  more  than  three  months'  subsist- 
ence. I  have  stated  the  particulars  of  my  account  current 
with  Mr.  Tannehill  and  inclosed  it  to  him,  which  you  can  ad- 
vert to  for  your  satisfaction. 


IY. 

Princeton,  September  16,  1783. 
Sir: — Lieutenant  Pose  having  represented  the  difficulties 
attending  the  settlement  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  at  Fort 
Pitt,  unless  some  person  be  authorized  to  transact  the  business 
for  that  detachment,  I  conceive  that,  as  the  regiments  at  head- 
quarters are  allowed  agents  by  the  commander-in-chief,  for  the 
same  purpose,  it  will  be  highly  necessary  and  proper  that  an 
agent  whom  the  troops  can  confide  in  should  also  be  appointed 


816  Washington-Irvine  ( Correspondence. 

by  the  officers,  to  represent  that  detachment  to  settle  their  ac- 
counts at  Philadelphia,  receive  their  certificates  and  distribute 
them  to  the  respective  claimants. 

I  think  it  very  proper  that  this  agent  should  examine  and 
receive  the  vouchers  of  the  several  regimental  paymasters 
whose  accounts  are  connected  with  this  settlement,  and  request 
thnt  yon  will  please  to  signify  this  to  that  person  so  appointed; 
and  I  do  hereby  authorize  him  to  call  to  account  such  regi- 
mental paymasters  and  will  be  bound  by  his  transactions  on 
this  occasion,  provided  the  same  shall  be  agreable  to  the  exist- 
ing resolves  of  congress.  I  shall  send  any  farther  necessary 
instruction  on  the  first  application. 


APPENDIX  E. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  THE  DEPUTY1  AND  ASSISTANT  QUAR- 
TERMASTER GENERAL.2 


I. —  Miles  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  March  12,  1782. 
Sir: — I  have  written  Mr.  Duncan  to  deliver  to  the  person 
you  shall  appoint  to  receive  them,  all  the  quartermaster's 
stores  under  his  care  and  to  dismiss  all  the  persons  employed 
by  him,  as  soon  as  the  stores  are  delivered.  I  shall,  therefore, 
be  obliged  to  you  to  appoint  some  suitable  person  for  this 
purpose  (but  pray  let  him  be  a  person  capable  of  keeping  his 
own  accounts,  to  prevent  the  expense  of  a  clerk).  Some  of 
the  gentlemen  of  the  line,  I  doubt  not,  will  accept  it  for  a 
small  addition  to  their  pay,  which  I  shall  leave  you  to  fix; 
and  as  you  are  a  judge  of  the  suitableness  of  the  respective 
gentlemen,  and  as  the  person  will  act  under  your  immediate 
direction  and  inspection,  I  can  rest  assured  that  no  improper 
appointment  will  be  made.  All  I  am  anxious  for  is,  to  have 
the  business  done  with  economy  and  punctuality. 


II. —  Miles  to  Irvine. 

[Philadelphia,  April  3,  1782.] 
Sir: — By  the  bearer,  Andrew  Adam   Seitz,  are  sent   six 
hogsheads  of  clothing,  one  hundred  axes,  and  five  hundred 
weight  of  rod  iron.3     The  other  articles  will  be  sent  as  fast  as 

1  Samuel  Miles. 

8  Samuel  Hodgdon. 

3 "  Rec'd  the  3d  of  April,  1782,  of  Samuel  Miles,  deputy  quartermaster,  one 
box  containing  one  hundred  axes  and  five  hundred  weight  rod  iron,  which  I 
promise  to  deliver  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  for  which  I 
have  duplicate  receipts  of  this  tenor  and  date.      Andrew  Adam  Seitz." 

"  Rec'd  3d  April,  1782,  of  J.  S.  Howell,  deputy  clothier  general,  six  pack- 


2 IS  Wash  ington-Irvme  Corresponden  <  ■< . 

wagons  can  be  procured.     The  roads  have  been  so  bad  that  no 
wagons  could  be  got  sooner. 


III. —  Miles  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  April  16,  1782. 

Sir: — There  are  three  wagons  loaded  with  a  variety  of 
stores,  some  public  and  some  private,  for  the  officers  of  the 
garrison  [at  Fort  Pitt].  Inclosed  is  a  receipt  for  what  was 
loaded  out  of  my  office.  Mr.  "Wister  and  the  other  persons 
concerned  have,  I  suppose,  sent  receipts  for  the  stores  sent  by 
them.1 

I  wish  those  three  wagons  might,  if  possible,  be  loaded 
back.  If  there  are  any  loading  of  any  kind,  either  private  or 
public,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  for  procuring  it  for  them,  for 
their  pay  is  to  be  the  same,  whether  the}'  return  loaded  or 
empty.  Whatever  they  bring,  therefore,  will  be  a  saving  of 
so  much.  

IV. —  Miles  to  Irvtne. 

Philadelphia,  May  4,  17S2. 
Sir: — I  have  purchased  (by  order  of  Mr.  Morris)  thirty- 
two  bushels  of  salt,  to  pay  a  number  of  persons  for  provisions 
supplied  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pitt  some  time  ago.  The  bearer, 
Benjamin  Tell,  has  it  in  charge,  contained  in  eight  barrels.  I 
have  enclosed  a  list  of  the  persons'  names  to  whom  it  is  to  be 
distributed,  with  the  quantity  each  is  to  receive,  and  I  must 
beg  the  favor  of  you  to  put  it  into  the  hands  of  some  trusty 
person,  for  distribution,  who  must  take  receipts  from  the  per- 
sons that  receive  it,  for  their  respective  proportions,  which 
receipts  (as  soon  as  the  whole  is  delivered)  I  must  beg  you 
will  be  so  obliging  as  to  transmit  to  me,  that  I  may  close  the 
account  <>f  the  salt,  as  it  is  separate  from  the  other  transactions 
of  my  department. 

ages  of  clothing     .     .     .     which  1  promise  to  deliver  to  Brig  Gen.  Irvine 
for  tin;  uso  of  the  troops  under  bis  command  stationed  af  Fori  Pitt,  having 
ipta.  Andkkw  Adam  Skitz." 

ptejusl  mentioned. 


Appendix  E.  219 

The  whole  quantity  to  be  delivered  is  31£  bushels;  the  re- 
maining three  pecks  will  I  hope  make  up  any  deficiencies  that 
may  happen  by  measuring  it  out  in  small  quantities.1 

Mr.  Tell  has  also  in  charge  the  public  team  purchased  for 
the  use  of  the  post  at  Fort  Pitt,  which  has  been  detained  here 
for  want  of  a  driver. 


V. —  Miles  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  May  23,  1782. 
Sir: — I  received  a  few  days  ago  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hughes, 
your  brigade  quartermaster,  acquainting  me  that  he  cannot 
nor  will  not  do  the  duty  of  quartermaster  at  Fort  Pitt,  unless 

1  "  Account  of  salt  due  the  following1  persons  for  beef,  flour,  pork,  etc., 
purchased  by  Colonel  John  Gibson's  orders  for  the  use  of  the  troops  in  the 
western  department  since  the  first  of  August,  1781,  to  the  20th  of  October, 
following:  Bushels.  Pecks. 

"To  David  Rankin,  for  three  beef  cattle.     (Three  bushels  paid  by 

Gen.  Irvine) 5  2 

"    Edward  Cook,  for  16  hundred  weight  flour 4 

"    Mr.  Wells,  for  1,000  weight  flour .     2  2 

"    Col.  Carman  and  Company,  for  8  hundred  do 2 

"    Henry  Spear,  for  1,000  weight  of  do 2  2 

"    Richard  McMachan,  balances  for  beef 2  2 

"     Van  Camp,  for  4  hundred  of  flour 1 

"    B.  Cuykendall,  for  2  hundred  weight  of  do 2 

"    Thomas  Roberts,  for  one  bullock 1  1 

"    Mr.  White,  for  one  hundred  weight  of  flour 1 

"    Jacob  Bausman,  for  4  hundred  pounds  beef 2 

"    Mr.  Moore,  for  one  bullock 1  3 

"    Sam'l  Sample,  one  bullock 2  2 

"    Mr.  Downing,  for  one  bullock 2  2 

"    Robert  Lawdon,  for  2  hundred  weight  flour 2 

31  1 
"  I  do  certify  that  I  have  purchased,  received  and  delivered  the  above  quan- 
tity of  beef  and  flour  to  John  Irwin,  D.  C.  Gen'l  of  Issues,  and  as  my  receipts 
are  given  to  the  different  persons  to  be  paid  in  salt;  and  as  there  is  no  conti- 
nental salt  here,  I  beg  that  Gen'l  Irvine  will  use  his  influence,  if  possible,  to 
obtain  the  quantity  of  salt,  so  as  I  may  be  able  to  pay  off  the  debts  according 
to  contract.  Sam'l  Sample. 

"  I  do  certify  that  I  received  of  Mr.  Samuel  Sample  beef  and  flour  to  the 
full  amount  of  the  within  account  for  the  use  of  the  continental  troops. 
"  Fokt  Pitt,  October  30,  1781.  Geo.  Wallace,  A.  C.  I." 


n..!0  Wash ington-Jrvine  Correspondejice. 

he  can  receive  his  pay  regularly  every  month.  This  is  a  thing 
impossible  for  me  to  promise,  as  I  am  sure  I  shall  not  have  it 
in  my  power  to  fulfill  such  an  engagement.  lie  also  tells  me 
that  he  cannot  perform  the  business  without,  at  least,  one  clerk. 
It  is  possible  I  may  be  mistaken  with  respect  to  the  business 
of  the  post.  But  according  to  my  idea  of  it,  I  cannot  con- 
ceive that  a  clerk  can  be  necessary.  It  is  undoubtedly  right 
that  he  should  have  a  suitable  number  of  persons  to  do  the 
laboring  part,  but  I  should  think  one  man  would  readily  do  all 
the  writing,  as  well  as  direct  the  business.  However,  you,  sir, 
who  are  on  the  spot,  are  certainly  a  better  judge  of  this  mat- 
ter than  I  can  possibly  be  at  this  distance.  I  shall,  therefore, 
thank  you  to  make  such  arrangements  as  you  will  find  abso- 
lutely necessary,  which  I  shall,  as  far  as  it  depends  upon  me, 
readily  agree  to,  and  do  all  in  my  power  to  support. 


YI. —  Miles  to  Irvine. 

PniLADELriiiA,  November  28,  1782. 

Sir: — Agreeable  to  your  advice,  I  attempted  to  contract 
with  Mr.  Blaine  for  supplying  your  post  with  forage;  but 
though  he  is  willing  to  take  the  contract,  he  chose  to  defer  it 
till  his  return  to  Fort  Pitt,  not  knowing  on  what  terms  he 
could  purchase  hay  and  grain.  I  have  therefore  to  request 
the  favor  of  you  to  take  this  trouble  for  me;  and  to  make  the 
best  contract  you  can  with  Mr.  Blaine,  at  so  much  per  ration, 
which  (agreeable  to  the  new  plan  in  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment to  take  place  the  first  of  January  next)  is  fourteen 
pounds  of  hay  and  ten  quarts  of  oats  or  other  grain  equiva- 
lent, for  all  the  horses  entitled  to  forage  at  your  post  as  well 
the  officers'  as  public  teams. 

As  you  are  fully  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  coun- 
try, you  are  much  better  qualified  to  fix  the  price  with  Mr. 
Blaine  than  I  can  possibly  be  at  this  distance.  I  shall  there- 
fore make  no  other  apology  for  troubling  you  with  the 
business;  and  shall,  if  necessary,  confirm  any  contract  you 
think  proper  l>>  make  for  the  purpose.  1  hope  when  this  con- 
tract i.-  i.  ide,  it  will   not   be   requisite  for  me  to  appoint  any 


Appendix  E.  ,::  I 

person  to  do  the  duty  of  quartermaster  at  Fort  Pitt.  If  wood 
is  to  be  purchased,  it  can,  I  doubt  not,  be  contracted  for  to  be 
delivered  at  the  garrison,  and  the  other  duties  can  be  but 
trifling. 

I  have  little  prospect  of.  furnishing  another  team  this  fall. 
I  should  have  written  you  more  fully  by  this  opportunity,  but 
have  been  in  daily  expectation  of  finishing  the  contract  with 
Mr.  Blaine  till  within  this  hour,  when  he  informed  me  he 
could  not  fix  the  price  till  his  arrival  in  your  country,  and  is 
just  now  ready  to  set  out.  From  the  same  cause,  also,  I  have 
been  prevented  from  obtaining  an  order  from  Mr.  Morris  for 
you,  appropriating  part  of  the  moneys  in  your  hands  to  the 
purchase  of  forage.  But  there  cannot,  possibly,  I  should  sup- 
pose, be  any  reasonable  objection  to  it,  or  of  furnishing  Mr. 
Blaine  with  the  same  proportion  of  cash  on  the  contract  for 
forage  that  he  has  received  on  that  for  provision. 

I  received  your  letter  of  September ,  but  hurry  of  busi- 
ness and  want  of  opportunity  prevented  my  answering  it; 
that  of  July  did  not  come  to  hand.  Four 'wagons  with 
clothing  for  your  garrison,  set  out  from  here  yesterday. 


VII. —  Irvine  to  Miles. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  1,  1783. 
Sir: — Your  favor  of  the  28th  of  November  was  delivered 
to  me  yesterday  by  Mr.  [Ephraim]  Blaine.  He  purposes  to 
furnish  forage  either  in  bulk,  at  a  certain  advance  for  his 
trouble,  or  to  issue  it  by  the  ration,  which  he  thinks  he  cannot 
afford  to  furnish  under  one  shilling  three  pence.  This,  at 
present,  is  not  so  unreasonable  as  it  may  appear,  compared  to 
the  prices  of  forage  below,  since  grain  and  hay  have  consider- 
ably advanced  during  the  winter;  and  I  am  certain  it  could 
not  be  furnished  here  much  cheaper  this  season.  To  contract 
for  forage  I  think  at  any  rate  the  most  eligible  method;  but  I 
am  quite  at  a  loss  to  determine  which  of  these  proposals  to 
prefer.  I  am  so  much  the  more  diffident  to  enter  into  any 
engagements  with  Mr.  Blaine  upon  his  conditions,  as  he  finds 


,J??  WasJiin/jton-Irvine  Correspondence. 

himself  unable  to  en^aire  in  the  business  unless  he  receives 

■ 

at  least  one  hundred  pounds  advanced  in  cash. 

However,  in  confidence,  to  come  to  a  reasonable  conclusion 
with  you  and  to  receive  in  advance  the  sum  mentioned,  Mr. 
Blaine  enters  upon  the  engaging  of  forage,  as  soon  as  our 
present  stock  is  exhausted,  and  leaves  you  the  choice  of  his 
proposals.  lie  expects  you  will  communicate  to  him  your 
definite  answer  without  delay;  and  you  should  obtain  orders 
from  the  financier  general  [Morris]  upon  me  for  the  sum  de- 
manded, as  it  is  positively  not  in  my  power  to  advance  him 
any  money  at  all  without  it.  You  will  please  to  forward  these 
in  a  manner  that  they  may  reach  me  here  in  the  beginning  of 
February,  at  which  time  I  expect  to  go  down  the  country. 

The  clothing  you  mention  has  not  arrived.  The  impracti- 
cability of  the  roads  detains  the  wagons  on  your  side  the  hills; 
and  I  am  told  their  different  loads  have  been  repacked  and  are 
forwarded  on  pack-horses.  I  fear  a  great  deal  will  be  lost  and 
more  spoiled. 


YIII. —  Hodgdon  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  March  22,  1783. 

Sir: — I  have,  in  company  with  your  aid,  just  seen  Mr. 
Morris  and  settled  the  matter  relative  to  the  forage  delivered 
at  Fort  Pitt.  He  requests  that  you  will  settle  with  the  con- 
tractors up  to  the  first  of  April,  either  by  ascertaining  the 
number  of  rations  actually  issued  from  the  commencement  of 
the  supply,  or  the  quantity  of  each  kind  of  forage  received 
during  the  time  of  the  supply.  In  either  case,  your  judgment 
will  be  conclusive  and  the  account  immediately  admitted. 
"When  the  amount  is  known,  a  draft  will  be  given  the 
quartermaster  general  therefor  and  the  vouchers  taken  by  you 
received  in  payment.  That  the  whole  matter  may  appear  to 
have  fallen  under  his  notice  and  direction,  this  mode  is  thought 
the  most  eligible. 

I  wish  you  to  still  take  the  trouble  of  insuring  a  future 
supply.  Being  on  the  spot  and  having  perfect  knowledge  of 
every  circumstance,  your  interference  will  prevent  mistakes 


Appendix  E.  ££3 

and  their  train  of  consequences.  I  will  undertake  to  comply 
with  any  engagements  in  this  business  you  may  find  it  neces- 
sary to  make.  I  rely  on  youT  goodness  to  indulge  me  and 
serve  the  public  in  this  particular.  Any  officer  you  think 
essentially  necessary  to  conduct  the  quartermaster's  business, 
I  wish  you  to  appoint.  When  the  capacity  in  which  he  acts 
is  known,  it  shall  be  confirmed  and  a  suitable  allowance  made 
for  his  services.  The  secretary  at  war  thinks  proper  to 
postpone  the  transporting  the  several  articles  in  your  returns 
until  others  may  be  procured  and  the  roads  more  settled. 


IX. —  Hodgdon  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  April  15,  1783. 

Sir: —  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  3d  instant,  and 
noted  its  contents.  Peace  being  unquestionably  settled,  ren- 
ders an  appointment  in  the,  quartermaster's  department  at 
Fort  Pitt  unnecessary;  on  which  account,  I  am  glad  you  have 
suspended  it,  and  am  also  much  obliged  for  your  attention  to 
the  procurement  of  forage  absolutely  necessary  for  the  gar- 
rison. The  mode  I  exceedingly  approve.  You  will  please  to 
request  Captain  Zingly  to  keep  a  particular  account  of  sales 
and  disbursements,  that  nothing  may  perplex  the  business  on 
final  adjustment  of  the  accounts  for  supplies  furnished  the 
post. 

As  Captain  Ernes  is  already  in  charge  of  the  public  stores 
at  Carlisle,  I  shall  empower  him  to  receive  and  make  sale  of 
such  horses  and  wagons  as  may  chance  to  arrive  there;  and  to 
give  receipts  to  the  persons  who  make  the  delivery ;  and  par- 
ticularly to  call  on  all  officers  contiguously  situated  for  any 
horses  they  may  have  in  possession.  All  received  will  be  sold 
at  Carlisle  —  as  I  am  with  you  in  sentiment  that  it  will  be 
most  for  the  interest  of  the  public.  If  a  new  appointment 
was  necessary,  your  recommendation  would  insure  it  to  Mr. 
Postlethwait,  having  previously  heard  that  he  was  an  active, 
intelligent  and  honest  man. 


,.'.'.£  Washington-Irvine  Correspondent 


X. —  Hodgdon  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  Septemher  19,  1783. 

v  '  / — The  two  wagons  at  present  employed  at  your  post 
can  be  no  longer  necessary,  as  the  garrison  is  so  much  reduced. 
In  future,  the  commanding  officer  is  at  liberty  to  hire  the 
small  portion  of  transportation  that  may  be  wanted.  !No 
hauling  except  wood  can  create  any  expense,  and  as  the  com- 
mand is  not  entitled  to  forage,  it  would  be  double  the  expense 
to  support  public  teams  merely  for  this  service.  You  will 
therefore  dispose  of  those  you  have,  in  the  manner  you  think 
most  likely  to  accommodate  the  removal  of  your  officers  and 
men. 

I  wish  you  to  direct  the  person  last  employed  by  you  as 
quartermaster  to  make  out  his  account  and  you  to  certify  the 
time  and  value  of  his  services,  after  which  I  will  do  my  en- 
deavors to  have  him  paid.  The  wood  for  the  use  of  the  gar- 
rison is  to  be  cut  as  usual  near  the  fort,  the  proprietor  in 
common  with  others  will  receive  a  reasonable  compensation. 


APPENDIX  F. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH   JOHN  MOYLAN,  CLOTHTER-GENERAL, 
AND  JACOB  S.  HOWELL,  HIS  DEPUTY. 


I. —  Jacob  S.  Howell  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  December  17,  1781. 
Sir: —  I  received  your  favor  of  the  2d  instant  by  express, 
and  am  pleased  to  hear  the  clothing  arrived  safe.  I  have  re- 
ceived a  supply  of  cloth  from  the  eastward  and  shall  [take  the 
earliest  time]  to  furnish  you  with  the  .  .  .  also  with 
shirts,  shoes  and  overalls.  [You  will]  therefore  be  pleased  to 
send  an  officer  in  a  month  or  six  weeks  from  this  time  to  re- 
ceive and  take  charge  of  the  clothing.  No  delay  will  be  made 
on  my  part  unless  some  unavoidable  [accident  should]  happen 
to  prevent  his  return.  

II. —  Howell   to  the  Commanding  Officer  at  Fort  Pitt. 

Philadelphia,  February  19,  1782. 
Sir: —  Inclosed  is  Barney  Hart's  receipt  for  four  boxes  and 
two  hogsheads  clothing  for  the  troops  stationed  at  Fort  Pitt, 
which  you  will  please  to  receive  and  deliver  them  to  the  pay- 
masters of  the  two  regiments,  proportionate  to  their  wants, 
and  acquaint  me  with  the  quantity  issued  to  each.  You  will 
please  to  observe  that  I  have  sent  some  superfine  cloth  for 
officers,  which  is  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  quantity  in 
store.  I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  send  you  more;  but,  as 
that  is  not  the  case,  you  must  accept  the  will  for  the  deed. 


III. —  Irvine  to  John  Moylan. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  25,  1782. 
Sir:  —  I  inclose  you  a  return  of  clothing  received,  issued 
and     ...     at  this  post  since  my  arrival  here.     [It  is  be- 
cause] the  most  necessary  articles  for  the  [men  are]  exhausted 
15 


Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

that  I  am  under  the  necessity  to  make  early  application,  and 
urge  their  being  speedily  sent  on,  for  several  reasons, —  par- 
ticularly the  impracticability  of  the  roads  late  in  the  year.  I 
therefore  request  you  not  to  postpone  forwarding  the  clothing 
for  this  garrison  until  the  supplies  of  the  whole  army  are  col- 
Iected.  The  transportation  here  is  so  tedious  by  its  distance 
and  the  troops  are  so  bare  by  receiving  their  regimentals  so 
early  last  fall  —  an  indulgence  enforced  by  necessity  —  that 
they  will  not  only  suffer  but  perish  should  we  be  disappointed 
in  our  expectation  of  an  early  supply. 

The  total  want  of  linen  overalls  this  summer  has  exposed 
the  soldiers  to  numberless  inconveniences.  To  prevent  a  sim- 
ilar distress  next  summer,  I  insert  linen  overalls  and  shirts  in 
an  inclosed  return  of  clothing  wanted  again  this  winter,  which 
is  calculated  with  the  utmost  precision  by  the  number  of  our 
effectives.  As  you  must  still  retain  on  hand  our  proportionary 
quota  of  linen  overalls  for  this  year,  I  wish  you  would  forward 
them  with  the  rest  of  the  clothing  in  the  fall.  We  should 
have  the  use  of  them  the  next  proper  season.  The  clothing 
promised  the  Indians  has  been  entirely  neglected.  I  am 
obliged  to  furnish  them  with  blankets  and  shirts  specified  in 
the  return. 


IV. —  Moylan  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  August  11,  1782. 

Sir:  — I  am  favored  with  your  letter  by  Captain  Hughes. 
Perfectly  sensible  as  I  ever  have  been  of  the  particular  atten- 
tion due  to  corps  like  yours  so  far  remote  from  every  source 
of  supply,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you  that  nothing  on  my  part 
has  been  left  undone  to  provide  in  time  for  the  clothing  of  the 
troops  under  your  command;  but  unfortunately  in  this  as  well 
as  many  other  instances  the  means  of  conveyance  have  not 
kept  pace  with  the  exertions  I  have  made  since  my  arrival  in 
this  city.  For  proof  of  which  exertions  the  appearance  of 
those  troops  who  have  received  their  clothing  is  the  best  evi- 
dence I  can  appeal  to. 

The  linen  overalls  with  other  articles  appropriated  for  your 


Appendix  F.  :.7 

detachment  as  well  as  the  clothing  promised  the  Indians,  you 
mast  recollect  were  all  in  readiness  about  the  time  yon  left 
this  place,  and  for  the  greater  dispatch  packed  up  agreeably 
to  your  directions  in  pieces  to  be  made  up  by  the  garrison; 
but  the  application  has  been  frequently  made  for  the  means  of 
transporting  them  —  here  they  still  remain. 

I  have  good  hopes,  however,  that  these  goods  with  whatever 
may  be  allotted  for  the  winter  supply  of  your  troops  will  be 
shortly  forwarded  to  you.  The  amount  of  your  return  of 
clothing  wanted  can  be  easily  procured,  having  actually  on  hand 
the  most  necessary  articles  it  specifies.  The  necessity  of  send- 
ing them  on  in  time  to  prevent  the  danger  and  delays  of  bad 
roads  I  shall  take  care  to  urge  to  the  minister  at  war,  and  I 
have  little  or  no  doubt  but  he  will  cheerfully  enter  into  your 
views. 


V. MOYLAN    TO    IKVINE. 

Philadelphia,  November  10,  1782. 

Sir: — A  severe  indisposition  which  has  confined  me  near 
four  weeks  to  my  bed  and  but  a  few  days  since  permitted  me 
to  creep  about,  prevented  an  earlier  reply  to  your  favor  of  the 
12th  September.  I  now  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that 
in  the  course  of  this  week,  if  wagons  can  be  procured,  we 
shall  forward  to  your  address  a  supply  of  clothing  for  the 
troops  under  your  command,  to  the  full  extent  of  the  return 
you  made  me.  For  your  better  information  I  shall  subjoin  a 
note1  of  such  articles  at  foot  hereof  as  we  are  packing  up  for 
that  purpose.  I  sincerely  wish  they  may  reach  you  in  time  to 
screen  the  men  from  the  severity  of  the  approaching  season. 

Several  occurrences  have  unavoidably  delayed  this  supply,  as 
well  as  the  linen  overalls  and  hunting  frocks,  which  were  in 

'This  note  was  as  follows: 

"  [Note.]  Two  hundred  coats,  two  hundred  vests,  two  hundred  pair  breeches, 
six  hundred  shirts,  fifty  or  sixty  blankets,  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  pair 
hose,  two  hundred  and  sixty  hats,  three  hundred  linen  overalls,  five  Indian 
robes,  eleven  Indian  robes  alias  guina  cloths,  two  lbs.  vermillion,  seven  hun- 
dred pair  shoes,  three  hundred  hunting  frocks,  twelve  match  coats,  eighteen 
sergeant's  coats." 


Wash  mgton— Irvine  Correspondence. 


readiness  to  send  you  some  months  ago.  This  delay,  however, 
should  nut,  I  think,  deprive  your  men  of  their  just  proportion 
of  the  articles  of  clothing  which  have  been  appropriated  for 
them.  I  have  therefore  ordered  them  to  be  sent  on  with  the 
other  articles  now  preparing  for  their  use.  You  will  observe 
that  the  Indians  have  not  been  forgotten  in  this  supply. 


VI. —  Howell  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  Novemoer  25,  1782. 

Sir: —  On  the  other  side  yon  have  invoice  and  receipt1  for 
twelve  packages  of  clothing  sent  to  your  address  for  the  use 
of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Pitt,  under  your  command,  which  I 
hope  will  arrive  safe  and  give  pleasure  to  you  and  comfort  to 
your  troops. 

The  articles  for  the  Indians  contained  in  the  package  you 
will  be  pleased  to  have  taken  out  and  appropriated  accord- 
ingly. I  am  sorry  you  have  not  had  this  supply  earlier  in  the 
season,  but  means  for  transportation  could  not  sooner  be 
obtained. 

1  This  invoice  and  receipt  are  purposely  omitted  as  being  of  little  general 
interest. 


APPENDIX  G. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  THE  GOVERNORS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.1 


I. —  Irvine  to  "William  Moore.2 

Fort  Pitt,  December  3,  1781. 
Sir: —  I  am    sorry   to   inform   your   excellency   that   this 
country  has  got  a  severe  stroke  by  the  loss  of  Colonel  [Archi- 
bald] Lochry3and  about  one  hundred  ('tis  said)  of  the  best 

1  William  Moore  and  John  Dickinson. 

2  William  Moore  was  president  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  governor  de  facto  as  well  as  de  jure  of  that  state,  from  the  14th 
of  November,  1781,  to  the  7th  of  November,  1782.  The  letter  was  directed 
to  the  supreme  executive  council,  as  Irvine  had  not  heard  who  had  been  elected 
chief  executive. 

3 From  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  12  March,  1782:  "Extract  of  a  letter 
from  Kentucky,  dated  December  6,  1781.  'It  is  but  lately  that  the  fate  of 
Colonel  Loughrie  [Lochry]  and  his  corps  of  Pennsylvanians,  who  were  to  do 
duty  to  the  westward  under  the  command  of  General  Clarke  [George  Rogers 
Clark],  has  been  publicly  known.  The  rendezvous  of  the  brigade  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  at  Wheeling.  Col.  Loughrie,  whose  regiment  was  composed  of 
fine  riflemen,  happened  to  be  something  in  the  rear,  but  despatched  a  messen- 
ger to  the  general,  informing  him  of  his  situation  and  strength,  at  the  same 
time  requesting  that  in  case  he  could  not  wait  until  he  came  up,  to  leave  him 
a  supply  of  provisions.  The  general  pushed  forward,  leaving  a  few  men  with 
the  provisions  for  the  Pennsylvanians  and  orders  for  them  to  follow  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Miame  [Miami];  Loughrie  followed,  but  the  general  went  on  to 
the  Falls  [Louisville],  During  General  Clarke's  stay  at  Fort  Pitt,  the  enemy 
at  Detroit  got  intelligence  of  his  preparations  and  designs;  the  [they]  de- 
tached a  force  of  about  600,  mostly  Indians,  in  order  to  make  a  diversion  in  the 
Kentucky  country,  and  if  practicable,  to  intercept  the  general  coming  down 
the  Ohio.  This  force  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  time  enough  to  give  a 
fatal  blow  to  the  unfortunate  Loughrie  and  his  men,  who,  when  they  came  to 
the  appointed  place  of  overtaking  the  other  regiment,  unsuspectingly  landed, 
and  were  soon  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  the  whole  party,  amounting  to 
140  men,  were  either  killed  or  made  prisoners.  The  particulars  of  this  mor- 
tifying disaster  we  have  from  prisoners  that  lately  made  their  escape  from 
the  Indians.'  " 


230  Washinyto)i-Irvine  Correspondence. 

men  of  "Westmoreland  county,  including  Captain  Stokely1  and 
his  company  of  rangers.  They  were  going  down  the  Ohio  on 
General  Clark's  expedition.  .Many  accounts  agree  that  they 
were  all  killed  or  taken  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  river, —  I 
believe  chiefly  killed.2     This   misfortune,  added  to  the   failure 

1  Thomas  Stokely.  He  was  among  the  captured  and  afterward  returned  to 
his  home.  He  was  in  command,  at  the  time,  of  a  company  of  state  troops, 
called  rangers. 

"I  am  now  on  my  march  with  Captain  Stokely 's  company  of  rangers  and 
about  fifty  volunteers,  from  this  [Westmoreland]  county.  We  shall  join  Gen- 
eral Clark  at  Fort  Henry  [Wheeling],  on  the  Ohio  river,  where  his  army  has 
lain  for  some  weeks  past,  as  it  was  most  expedient  to  have  the  boats  there,  the 
water  being  deeper  from  [that  point]  to  where  he  intends  going  than  from  Fort 
Pitt  there."— Lochry  to  Pres't  Reed  from  "Miraile's  Mills,  Westmoreland, 
Aug.  4th,  1781." 

'The  following  is  the  British  official  report  of  the  affair: 

"Camp  Near  tiie  Ohio,  August^,  1781. 

"Sir: — The  26th  you  had  enclosed  an  account  that  Captain  Brandt  [the 
Mohawk  Indian  chief,  Thayendanegea,  or  Joseph  Brant]  and  George  Girty, 
with  the  Indians,  advanced  upon  the  Ohio,  had  taken  one  of  Clark's  boats 
after  having  passed  down  the  river  in  the  night.  Not  thinking  themselves 
in  number  sufficient  to  attack  him,  and  having  found  by  his  orders  to  Major 
Craigcroft  [Major  Charles  Cracraft]  that  more  troops  were  to  follow  under  the 
command  of  a  Colonel  Lochry,  [they]  lay  in  wait  for  them,  attacked  and  took 
the  whole,  not  allowing  one  to  escape.  Agreeable  to  a  return,  it  appears  there 
has  been  thirty-seven  killed,  amongst  whom  is  Lochry,  their  commandant, 
with  some  officers. 

"This  stroke,  with  desertions,  will  reduce  Clark's  army  much,  and  if  the 
Indians  had  followed  advice  and  been  here  in  time,  it  is  more  than  probable 
he  would  have  been  now  in  our  possession  with  his  cannon. 

"The  prisoners  seem  to  be  ignorant  of  what  his  intentions  are.  Perhaps 
loss  may  oblige  him  to  change  his  measures.  However,  we  shall  endeavor  to 
keep  the  Indians  together,  and  watch  his  motions.  His  first  intention  was  to 
penetrate  to  Sandusky  through  the  Indian  country,  from  whence  the  troops 
from  Fort  Pitt  were  to  return  home  and  he  to  Kentucky. 

"  We  are  with  great  respect,  sir,  your  most  obedient  and  most  humble 
servants,  A.  Thompson, 

"  Alex'r  McKee. 

"To  Major  De  Peyster  [commanding  at  Detroit]." 

Extract  from  a  letter  written  by  General  Frederick  Ilaldimand  to  Sir  Henry 

Clinton,  dated  Quebec,  29th  Sept.,  17*1  :    "1  have  received  a  dispatch  from 

oit  with  an  account  of  a  stroke  made  by  Joseph   Bran!   upon  the  Ohio. 

.     •     .     M.ijoi  r  informs  me  he  is  not  without  hopes  that  a  largo 

of  Indians  detached  for  that  purpose  may  yet  fall  in  with  Mr.  Clark's 

main  body,  which  it  was  expected  would  consist  of  1,000  men,  including  a 


Appendix  G.  831 

of  General  Clark's  expedition,1  lias  filled  the  people  with  great 
dismay.  Many  talk  of  retiring  to  the  east  side  of  the  moun- 
tain early  in  the  spring.  Indeed,  there  is  great  reason  to  ap- 
prehend that  the  savages  and  perhaps  the  British  from  Detroit 
will  push  us  hard  in  the  spring;  and  I  believe  there  never  were 
posts,  nor  a  country,  in  a  worse  state  of  defense;  notwith- 
standing, I  am  well  informed  there  have  been  sundry  meetings 
of  people  at  different  places,  for  the  purpose  of  concerting 
plans  to  emigrate  into  the  Indian  country,  there  to  establish 
a  government  for  themselves.  What  the  result  of  their  meet- 
ings was  I  cannot  say;  and,  as  I  do  not  intend  to  interfere  in 
civil  matters,  I  have  not  taken  any  notice  of  the  affair.2 

body  from  Augusta  county  in  Virginia  and  a  draft  from  the  settlements  in 
Kintuck  [Kentucky].  The  war  in  that  country  is,  on  our  part,  entirely  defen- 
sive, except  by  scouting  parties  constantly  employed  to  prevent  the  encroach- 
ments of  settlers  and  to  harass  the  frontiers,  which  I  encourage  as  much  as 
possible." 

1  [From  General  George  Rogers  Clark  to  the  governor  of  Virginia,  dated  at 
Fort  Nelson  (Louisville),  October  6,  1781:] — "  We  should  have  made  a  much 
better  figure  this  campaign  had  it  not  been  for  an  act  passed  empowering 
your  excellency  to  stop  the  expedition.  It  seems  it  alarmed  the  country.  The 
Greenbrier  militia  returned;  the  drafts  in  this  country  dispersed;  great  num- 
bers returned  to  Virginia  that  were  for  the  enterprise.  It  had  equally  as  bad 
an  impression  on  the  Monongahela  country;  as  the  report  happened  about  the 
time  of  rendezvous,  and  proved  an  excuse  for  numbers  that  otherwise  would 
have  joined  the  camp.  .  .  .  Captain  [Isaac]  Craig  and  company  of  ar- 
tillery return  to  Pittsburgh,  anxious  for  a  second  attempt  in  the  Indian 
country." 

2 To  "  emigrate  into  the  Indian  country  there  to  establish  a  government," 
as  expressed  by  Irvine,  was  a  statement  somewhat  alarming  to  Pennsylvania; 
for  such  schemes  had  been  rife  in  the  west  for  a  considerable  time,  as  was  well 
known  to  the  authorities  of  that  commonwealth.  The  plan  contemplating  a 
new  state  in  the  Indian  country  was  one  thing;  that  of  forming  a  new  gov- 
ernment which  should  take  in  the  "  disputed  territory,"  quite  another.  There 
were  several  schemes  all  proposing  to  include  not  only  the  last  mentioned  but 
more  or  less  territory  beyond;  and  all  arising  from  the  same  causes,  namely: 
a  "  divided  allegiance,"  insufficient  protection  from  the  savages,  and  the  zeal 
of  a  few  who  hoped  to  further  their  own  ambitious  designs. 

The  desire  for  change  was  stronger  with  the  Virginians  than  Pennsylva- 
nia^ in  the  trans- Alleghany  country,  as  events  had  already  foreshadowed  the 
extension  of  the  boundary  line  farther  westward  than  the  former  had  gener- 
ally been  led  to  believe  it  would  be  located ;  hence,  the  greater  number  of  sup- 
porters of  "new  state  schemes  "  lived  in  what  (as  claimed  by  Virginia)  had 


Washington-  Irvine  Correspond'  nee. 


From  what  observations  I  have  been  able  to  make,  I  am  of 
opinion  there  are  many  obvious  reasons  that  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  running  the  line  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania. 
Civil  government  will  never  be  fairly  established  till  then,  nor 
even  the  militia  drawn  out  with  regularity  for  their  own  de- 
fense.1 I  have  no  reason  as  yet  to  complain  of  the  people  for 
the  refractory,  ungovernable,  loose  manners  generally  ascribed 
to  them.  I  assure  yon,  sir,  my  pity  for  their  situation  is 
rather  excited  than  wrath  or  indignation  kindled.  I  have  good 
grounds  to  believe  that  the  settlements  at  Kentucky  and  the 
Falls  will  breakup; — in  which  case,  I  fear  a  number  of  ad- 
venturers who  talk  of  going  down  to  Xew  Orleans  with  flour 
will  be  killed  or  taken.  Council  may  depend  during  my  stay 
here  that  no  exertions  in  my  power  shall  be  wanting  in  every- 
thing that  may  tend  to  the  welfare  of  the  state  or  protection 
of  the  inhabitants  as  far  as  consistent  with  my  duty  as  an 
officer  of  the  United  States. 

P.  S. —  Please  to  excuse  the  omission  of  personal  address. 
AVe  have  not  heard  here  who  has  been  elected  president  [of 
the  supreme  executive  council]. 

been  the  county  of  Yohogania.  However,  severe  laws  passed  by  Pennsylvania 
against  attempts  at  forming  new  governments  that  should  include  any  of  her 
territory,  and  the  employment  of  judicious  means  to  enlighten  the  people  of 
the  west  as  to  the  fallacy  and  danger  of  opposing  them,  proved  effectual  in 
stamping  out  all  designs  for  the  building  up  of  new  states  any  portion  of 
which  should  come  within  her  boundaries. 

1  The  attention  of  "Washington  was  called  to  the  same  subject  by  Irvine  the 
day  previous  (ante,  p.  80). 

"This  country  (I  mean  west  of  the  Monongahela)  has  ever  been  considered 
by  a  majority  of  its  inhabitants,  to  be  within  the  state  of  Virginia;  and  it  has 
been  under  that  jurisdiction,  without  controversy,  since  the  year  1774.  But, 
on  the  publication  of  the  agreement  made  between  the  commissioners  for  the 
two  states,  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  at  Baltimore,  1779,  a  report  immedi- 
ately followed  that  the  line  would  be  run  without  procrastination,  in  conse- 
quence thereof;  this  produced  a  relaxation  amongst  the  officers  (particularly 
in  the  military  line)  knowing  that  such  an  agreement  would  include  the  whole, 
or  nearly  so,  of  Yohogania  county,  and  by  that  means  the  whole  country  was 
thrown  into  perfect  anarchy  and  confusion." — Dorset/  Pentecost  to  Pres'i 
/.'■  ■  i,  July  27,  1781. 


Appendix  G.  £33 


II. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  December  17,  17S1. 

Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  third  of  the  present  month  has 
been  read  in  council. 

The  loss  of  Colonel  Lochry  with  his  men  and  the  distressed 
state  of  the  post  under  your  command  and  the  country  around 
it,  gave  us  great  pain;  yet  we  hope  from  your  vigilance  and 
ability  that  every  possible  exertion  will  be  made  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  as  far  as  their  exposed  situation  will  admit  of.  It 
has  been  suggested  to  the  general  assembly  that  the  best  and 
perhaps  cheapest  means  of  protecting  the  frontiers  will  be 
found  in  the  invasion  of  the  Indian  country.  How  far  this 
may  be  prudent  and  practicable  remains  yet  to  be  decided 
upon.  Perhaps  the  disposition  of  the  people  of  "Westmore- 
land county  to  emigrate  into  the  Indian  country  may  be  di- 
verted and  applied  to  this  end.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  will  be 
certainly  proper  to  endeavor  to  fill  up  your  battalions  with  as 
many  men  as  can  be  obtained  in  that  county;  for  which  pur- 
pose, we  shall  send  you  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  begin 
with,  and  request  that  you  will,  as  opportunity  offers,  commu- 
nicate your  success  in  recruiting,  and  the  prospect  which  lies 
before  you.  You  may  depend  on  our  giving  you  the  earliest 
information  of  what  may  be  done  here,  respecting  the  frontiers. 

With  respect  to  the  line  between  this  state  and  Virginia, 
every  measure,  on  our  part,  has  been  taken  to  have  had  a  tem- 
porary line  run  the  last  summer;  but  it  has  failed  of  being 
effectual  by  some  omissions  of  the  commissioners  appointed 
on  the  part  of  that  state;  and  it  seems  to  be  impracticable  by 
the  season,  and  perhaps  unnecessary  now  to  push  that  measure, 
as  preparations  are  making  for  running  in  the  spring,  a  per- 
manent line  founded  upon  astronomical  observations. 

We  have  long  suspected  that  the  representation  of  the  state 
of  things  in  Westmoreland  has  been  colored  by  party  resent- 
ments, which  we  hope  will  subside,  and  that  harmony  be  ob- 
tained among  the  good  people  of  that  county,  which  is  so  very 
essential  to  their  interest  and  safety.  You  will  render  the 
most  acceptable  service,  at  once  to  the  county  and  to  the  state, 


2JJf  Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

by  using  your  influence  to  effect  so  desirable  a  purpose;  and 
the  favorable  representation  you  have  made  of  their  disposi- 
tions, affords  a  pleasing  expectation  that  this  may  be  in  your 
power,  and  we  have  no  doubt  of  your  attention  to  an  object 
BO  important  to  the  command  you  are  entrusted  with,  and  so 
highly  honorable  to  effect. 


III. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  December  29,  1781. 

Sir: — Our  assembly  rose  last  night,  having  spent  most  of 
their  time  about  a  contested  election;  and,  I  am  sorry  to  add, 
have  done  but  little  in  regard  to  supplies  for  carrying  on  the 
war  this  year.  However,  they  have  adjourned  to  the  second 
Monday  in  February,  when,  I  hope,  their  attention  will  be 
turned  from  party  disputes  to  the  public  service. 

I  have  sent  you  under  care  of  Messrs.  Meason and  Proctor, 
representatives  for  Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties, 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds,  specie,  for  the  purpose  of 
recruiting  the  Pennsylvania  troops  under  your  command.1 
Nine  pounds  specie  are  allowed  for  each  recruit,  to  serve  dur- 
ing the  war,  now  raising  here;  six  pounds  specie  are  allowed 
to  each  recruit  to  be  raised  in  the  ranging  companies,  to  serve 
during  the  war.  The  council  repose  confidence  in  you  to  raise 
the  men  on  the  best  terms  you  can;  and  when  this  money  is 
expended,  your  orders  on  us  will  be  met  with  due  honor,  for 
any  number  of  recruits  you  may  engage. 

The  gentlemen  are  just  going  off,  and  I  have  only  time  to 
add  that  I  wish  }'ou  health  and  happiness,  and  success  in  the 
recruiting  business. 

1  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  executive 
council  of  Pennsylvania : 

"In  Council,  Philadelphia,  Saturday,  Dcccnihcr  20,  1781. 
"An  order  was  drawn  on  the  treasurer  in  favor  of  John  Proctor  and  Isaac 
Me  uson,  Esquires,  for  the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  specie,  to  be  forwarded 
to  Brigadier  General  Irvine,  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  the  regiment  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Pitt  for  the  defense  of  the  western  frontiers,  for  which  he  is  to 
account." 


Appendix  G.  835 


IV. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  January  7,  1782. 
Sir: — I  wrote  you  a  few  days  since  by  Messrs.  Proctor  and 
Meason,  two  of  our  assembly  men,  from  Westmoreland  county, 
who  had  an  order  on  the  treasurer  of  Lancaster  county  for 
five  hundred  pounds  specie  to  be  delivered  you  for  the  pur- 
pose of  recruiting.  From  their  information  and  the  gentle- 
men of  the  council  for  the  western  frontiers,1  we  are  in  hopes 
you  will  be  able  to  get  a  considerable  number  of  recruits.  As 
it  is  difficult  for  want  of  opportunities,  as  well  as  hazardous, 
to  send  you  money  hence,  if  you  can  get  any  persons  in  your 
parts  to  advance  specie  for  drafts  on  council,  for  the  purpose 
of  recruiting,  you  may  be  assured  of  punctuality  in  honoring 
them,  having  laid  by  in  the  treasury,  separate  and  apart  from 
all  monies,  a  considerable  sum  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting 
only.  "We  have  begun  this  business  here  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Colonel  [Richard]  Humpton  [of  the  sixth  Penn- 
sylvania regiment],  who  has  sent  recruiting  parties  into  most 
of  the  counties  of  the  state.  Our  line3  is  very  thin.  General 
Washington  is  very  desirous  of  having  a  respectable  army  in 
the  field  by  the  first  of  March.  I  hope  we  shall  not  be  behind- 
hand with  our  sister  states  in  their  complement  of  men,  and 
that  every  exertion  will  be  used  for  that  purpose. 


V. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Carlisle,  March  17,  1782. 
Sir: — -I  find,  notwithstanding  the  precautions  taken  by  the 
honorable,  the  council,  and  the  vigilance  of  the  recruiting 
officers  to  prevent  British  deserters  and  prisoners  entering  into 
our  service,  that  several  have  perjured  themselves  and  are 
actually  in  service, —  some  of  whom  are  now  in  confinement, 

1  Matthew  Jack,  of  Westmoreland,  and  Dorsey  Pentecost,  of  Washington 
county,  were  the  "  gentlemen  of  the  [supreme  executive]  council  for  the  western 
frontiers,"  at  that  date. 

8  That  is,  the  Pennsylvania  line;  consisting  of  the  various  regiments,  in  the 
continental  service,  belonging  to  that  state  (ante,  p.  97,  note  2). 


236  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

at  this  place,  for  that  crime.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  what 
punishment  should  be  inflicted,  or  what  steps  would  be  most 
likely  to  deter  those  fellows  from  such  conduct.  As  the  crime 
does  not  properly  come  under  military  law,  I  beg  leave  to 
suggest  a  mode  to  your  excellency,  which,  in  my  opinion,  is 
the  most  likely  to  put  an  entire  stop  to  such  pernicious  prac- 
tices. 

If  council  will  think  proper  to  order  all  such  put  in  jail 
and  direct  the  state  attorney  to  prosecute  them  for  perjury 
and  the  law  rigorously  executed  as  the  crime  may  deserve,  I 
think  a  few  examples  of  cropping,  pillory,  etc.,  with  a  publica- 
tion of  the  reason  for  such  punishment  over  the  state,  will 
have  a  good  effect.  However,  as  this  is  only  opinion,  and  I 
thought  it  my  duty  to  give  council  information  on  the  subject, 
I  submit  the  matter  to  your  excellency.  Gavin  Miller,  a  Brit- 
ish prisoner  of  war,  is  under  this  predicament, —  was  enlisted 
by  Lieutenant  Jones  of  the  second  regiment.  I  have  ordered 
him  into  close  confinement  in  Carlisle  jail  till  your  excellency's 
pleasure  respecting  him  shall  be  made  known  to  the  command- 
ing officer  at  this  post.  I  proceed  immediately  on  my  way  to 
Fort  Pitt. 


YI.  —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  April  13,  1TS2. 
Sir: — The  council  have  received  information  through  vari- 
ous channels  that  a  party  of  militia1  have  killed  a  number  of 
Indians,  at  or  near  Muskingum,2  and  that  a  certain  Mr.  Bull8 
was  killed  at  the  same  time.     The  council   being  desirous  of 

'That  is,  Washington  county  militia  —  not  volunteers,  as  were  those  who 
soon  after  went  upon  the  Sandusky  expedition,  under  Col.  "Wm.  Crawford 
(.nit.',  p.  1 13;  also  p.  1 18  and  note). 

rence  is  here  had  to  the  "  <  fnadenhuetten  affair"  —  the  killing  of  the 

Moravian  Indians  by  the  men  under  Coloni  1  I  "avid  Williamson    a.    few  weeks 

previous,  upon  the  Muskingum;  that  is,  upon  what  is  now  known  as  the  Tus- 

i-.  in  the  present  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio  (ante,  pp.  67,  99). 

Jo    p'ii  Bull,  son  of  a  white  man  of  the  same   name,  hut  whose  mother 

idian  woman.     The  father  was  known  among  the  Moravian  Indians 

as  Schebosh;  that  is,  running  water. 


Appendix  G.  ,.'J7 

receiving  full  information  on  a  subject  of  such  importance, 
request  you  will  obtain  and  transmit  to  them  the  facts  relative 
thereto,  authenticated  in  the  clearest  manner.1 

1  How  the  governor  and  council  of  Pennsylvania  came  into  official  posses- 
sion of  the  above  facts,  the  following  will  show: 

[I] 

"  Relation  of  what  Frederick  Leinbach  [a  Moravianl  was  told  by  two  of 
his  neighbors,  living  near  Delaware  river,  above  Easton,  who  were  just  re- 
turned from  the  Monongahela : 

"  That  some  time  in  February  [1782],  one  hundred  and  sixty  men  living 
upon  Monongahela  set  off  on  horseback  to  the  Muskingum  [that  branch  now 
called  the  Tuscarawas],  in  order  to  destroy  three  Indian  settlements  of  which 
they  seemed  to  be  sure  of  being  the  towns  of  some  enemy  Indians. 

"After  coming  nigh  to  one  of  the  towns  [Gnadenhuetten],  they  discovered 
some  Indians  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Muskingum.  They  then  concluded 
to  divide  themselves  into  two  parties,  the  one  to  cross  the  river  and  the  other 
to  attack  those  Indians  on  this  [the  east]  side.  When  that  party  got  over  the 
river,  they  saw  one  of  the  Indians  coming  up  towards  them.  They  laid 
themselves  flat  on  the  ground,  waiting  till  the  Indian  was  nigh  enough,  then 
one  of  them  shot  the  Indian  and  broke  his  arm;  then  three  of  the  militia  ran 
towards  him  with  tomahawks.  When  they  were  yet  a  little  distance  from 
him  he  asked  them  why  they  fired  at  him,  he  was  Minister  Schebosh's 
(John  Bull's)  son,  but  they  took  no  notice  of  what  he  said,  but  killed  him  on 
the  spot.  They  then  surrounded  the  field,  and  took  all  the  other  Indians 
prisoners.  The  Indians  told  them  that  they  were  Christians  and  made  no  re- 
sistance. When  the  militia  gave  them  to  understand  that  they  must  bring 
them  as  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt,  they  seemed  to  be  very  glad.  They  were  or- 
dered to  prepare  themselves  for  the  journey,  and  to  take  all  their  effects  along 
with  them;  accordingly,  they  did  so  [prepare].  They  were  asked  how  it  came 
they  had  no  cattle.  They  answered  that  the  small  stock  that  was  left  them 
had  been  sent  to  Sandusky. 

"In the  evening,  the  militia  held  a  council,  when  the  commander  of  the 
militia  [David  Williamson]  told  his  men  that  he  would  leave  it  to  their  choice 
either  to  carry  the  Indians  as  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt  or  to  kill  them,  when  they 
agreed  that  they  should  be  killed.  Of  this  resolution  of  the  council,  they  gave 
notice  to  the  Indians  by  two  messengers,  who  told  them,  that,  as  they  had 
said  they  were  Christians,  they  would  give  them  time  this  night  to  prepare 
themselves  accordingly.  Hereupon,  the  women  met  together  and  sung  hymns 
and  psalms  all  night,  and  so  did  likewise  the  men,  and  kept  on  singing  as 
long  as  there  were  three  alive. 

"  In  the  morning  the  militia  chose  two  houses,  which  they  called  the 
slaughter  houses,  and  then  fetched  the  Indians,  two  or  three  at  a  time,  with 
ropes  about  their  necks,  and  dragged  them  into  the  slaughter  houses,  where 
they  knocked  them  down;  then  they  set  these  two  houses  on  fire,  as  likewise 
all  the  other  houses.    This  done,  they  went  to  the  other  towns  [New  Schcen- 


*23S  Washington   Irvine  Correspondence. 

VII. —  Iuvixe  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  2,  17S2. 
Sit:  —  I  <lid  not  receive  till  yesterday  your  excellency's 
favor  of  the  thirteenth  of  April.     I  will  make  minute  inquiry 

brann  and  SalemJ,  and  set  fire  to  the  houses,  took  their  plunder,  and  returned 
to  the  Monongahela,  where  they  kept  a  vendue  among  themselves.     .     .     ." 

[II.] 

"  Sir: —  I  received  this  afternoon  a  letter  of  the  Reverend  Nathaniel  [Seidel], 
bishop  of  the  united  churches  of  the  brethren,  residing  at  Bethlehem  [Pa.], 
dated  the  5th  instant.  He  informs  me  that  the  same  day  a  melancholy  report 
[see  the  foregoing  '  Relation  ']  was  brought  to  him  by  one  Mr.  Leinbach,  rel- 
ative to  a  murder  committed  by  white  men  upon  a  number  of  Christian  Indians 
at  a  place  called  Muskingum  [upon  the  branch  now  known  as  the  Tuscarawas]. 
He  continues  in  his  letter  that  the  same  Mr.  Leinbach  is  to  proceed  the  next 
day  to  Philadelphia,  in  order  to  give  congress  information  how  he  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  that  event,  so  that  congress,  unless  it  had  already  a  better  ac- 
count of  the  affair  than  he  can  give,  might,  upon  his  report,  take  some  meas- 
ures with  respect  as  well  of  the  mischief  already  done  as  more  which  might 
be  done,  and  thus  prevent  the  total  extirpation  of  a  congregation  of  Indians 
converted  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  judgments  of  Almighty  God 
against  our  dear  country,  which  stands  much  in  need  of  His  divine  protection. 
The  bishop  desires'me  to  give  attention  to  Mr.  Leinbach's  report  (I  have  done 
it),  and  to  direct  him  where  he  should  make  his  addresses.  I  make  bold,  sir, 
to  address  him  to  you,  and  to  beg  the  favor  that  you  iutroduce  him,  if  possi- 
ble, this  night,  with  the  delegates  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  from  whence,  it  is 
said,  the  mischief  originated,  and  to-morrow  morning  with  congress. 

"Your  humanity,  sir,  gives  me  confidence  to  use  the  freedom  to  trouble  you 
thi<  day  —  the  day  set  apart  for  the  service  of  men  to  their  God  —  about  a 
cause  which  is  most  properly  His  own.  The  tragic  scenes  of  erecting  two 
butcher-houses  or  sheds  and  killing  in  cold  blood  ninety-five  brown  or  tawny 
sheep  of  Jesus  Christ,  one  by  one,  is  certainly  taken  notice  of  by  the  Shep- 
herd, their  Creator  and  Redeemer.  I  am,  with  particular  respect,  sir,  your 
most  obedient,  humble  servant,  L.  Weisb  [Moravian  Att'y]. 

"Sunday,  7  April,  1782.  To  Chablkb  Thomson,  Esquire,  secretary  of 
congress.    By  [favor  of ]  Mr.  Frederick  Leinbach." 

[III.] 
"  8ir: — The  enclosed  intelligence  [Leinbach's  '  Relation,'  previously  given] 
was  communicated  to  congress  on  .Monday  last.     For  your  farther  information 
respecting  the  channel  of  intelligence,  I  beg  leave  to  send  you  a  letter  I  re- 
ceived on  Sunday  from  Mr.  L.  Weiss.     It  is  the  desire  of  congress  that  your 
llency  and  the  honorable  council  would  be  pleased  to  cause  inquiry  to  be 
into  this  matter.     .     .     .  Ciias.  Thomsoh  [Sec'y  of  Congress]. 

"  April !),  1782.  His  excellency,  William  Moore,  Esq.,  president  of  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania." 


Appendix  G.  239 

into  the  matter  yon  require  and  transmit  the  best  acconnts  I 
can  obtain  as  early  as  possible  [of  the  "  Gnadenhuetten  affair"]. 
In  the  meantime,  I  beg  to  refer  you  to  the  bearer  hereof,  Mr. 
David  Duncan,  whose  business  leads  him  pretty  much  abroad, 
and  I  am  persuaded  he  can  give  a  tolerable  general  account.1 


VIII. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  3,  1782: 

Sir:  —  Immediately  on  receipt  of  your  excellency's  letter 

of  the  13th  of  April,  I  wrote  to  Colonel  [James]  Marshel,2 

who  ordered  out  the  militia3  to  go  to  Muskingum  [to  that 

branch  now  known  as  the  Tuscarawas],4  for  his  and  Colonel 

1  The  first  published  account  of  the  progress  of  the  expedition  to  the  "  Mus- 
kingum," is  to  be  found  in  the  Pennsylvania  Packet  of  April  16,  1782,  and 
in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette  of  the  next  day.     It  is  as  follows : 

"  A  number  of  men,  properly  provided,  collected  and  rendezvoused  on  the 
Ohio,  opposite  the  Mingo  bottom  [the  Mingo  bottom  already  spoken  of 
as  just  below  what  is  now  Steubenville,  Ohio],  with  a  design  to  surprise  the 
above  towns  [previously  described  as  '  Indian  towns  upon  the  Muskingum  'J. 
The  weather  was  very  cold  and  stormy,  the  [Ohio]  river  high,  and  no  boats  or 
canoes  to  transport  themselves  across.  These  difficulties  discouraged  some, 
but  160  [about  100]  determined  to  persevere,  and  they  swam  the  river,  in  do- 
ing of  which  some  of  their  horses  perished  with  the  seventy  of  the  cold. 
When  they  got  over,  officers  were  chosen,  and  they  proceeded  to  the  towns 
on  the  Muskingum  [that  is,  to  the  branch  of  that  stream  now  known  as  the 
Tuscarawas]." 

2  Irvine's  letter  to  Marshel  has  not  been  found. 

3  That  Marshel,  who  was  lieutenant  of  Washington  county,  had  authority 
to  order  out  the  militia,  the  following  will  show: 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  January  the  8th,  1782. 

"  Ordered.  That  the  lieutenants  of  the  counties  of  .  .  .  Westmore- 
land and  Washington  be  authorized  and  empowered  to  call  out  such  and  so 
many  militia,  according  to  law,  as  they  may  judge  necessary  for  repelling  the 
enemy." 

4 This  letter  establishes  the  fact  that  the  men  who  went  to  the  "Muskin- 
gum" were  not  only  militia,  but  that  they  were  ordered  out  by  the  highest 
military  authority  of  Washington  county.  Marshel  had  become  tired  of 
"volunteer  plans."  (See  Appendix  J, —  Marshel  to  Irvine,  November  20, 
1781.)  The  Pennsylvania  Packet  of  April  16th  (No.  872)  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Gazette  of  the  next  clay  have  this  to  say  concerning  the  origin  and  ob- 
ject of  this  expedition  to  the  "  Muskingum  :" 

"  In  a  late  paper  we  gave  an  account  that  a  woman  and  three  children  had 
been  carried  off  by  the  savages  from  their  habitation  near  Fort  Pitt;  and  in 


%lfl  Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

[David]  Williamson's  report  of  the  matter.1  Colonel  William- 
Bon  2  commanded  the  party.  Inclosed  you  have  their  letters 
to  me  on  the  subject,  by  way  of  report. 

our  paper  of  the  9tb|6thjinst.  we  mentioned  an  advantage  being  gained  over 
those  Indian.-;.  By  a  gentleman  who  arrived  here  [Philadelphia]  on  Satur- 
day last  [April  13th,  1782],  from  Washington  county  [Pennsylvania],  we  have 
the  following  particulars:  That  on  the  17th  [10th]  of  February  last,  the  wife  and 
three  children  of  one  Robert  Wallace,  an  inhabitant  on  Raccoon  creek  (dur- 
ing, his  absence  from  home),  were  carried  off  by  a  party  of  Indians.  Mr. 
Wallace,  on  his  return  home  in  the  evening,  finding  his  wife  and  children 
gone,  his  house  broke  up,  the  furniture  destroyed,  and  his  cattle  shot  and  lay- 
ing dead  about  the  yard,  immediately  alarmed  the  neighbors,  and  a  party 
was  raised  that  night,  who  set  out  early  the  next  morning;  but  unfortu- 
nately a  snow  fell,  which  prevented  their  following,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
return.  Al  out  fchifi  lime  [day  unknown],  a  certain  John  Carpenter  was  taken 
prisoner  from  the  waters  of  Buffalo  creek  in  said  county  [Washington],  and 
another  party  had  fired  at  a  man,  whom  they  missed,  and  he  escaped  from 
them.  These  different  parties  of  Indians,  striking  the  settlements  so  early  in 
the  season,  greatly  alarmed  the  people,  and  but  too  plainly  evinced  their  [the 
Indians']  determination  to  harass  the  frontiers;  and  nothing  could  save  them 
[the  frontier  people]  but  a  quick  and  spirited  exertion.  They  therefore  came 
to  a  determination  to  extirpate  the  aggressors  and,  if  possible,  to  recover  the 
people  that  had  been  earned  off." 

Michael  Hnffnagle  writing  from  Hannastown,  March  8,  1782,  says:  "The 
savages  last  Sunday  three  weeks  took  into  captivity  two  families  upon  Raccoon 
and  Short  creeks  below  Pittsburgh.  I  am  afraid  the  first  good  weather  we 
may  expect  a  stroke  upon  some  of  our  frontiers  here."  The  following  is  con- 
firmatory of  the  fact  of  the  early  visitations  of  the  savages: 

"The  intelligence  which  has  been  received  from  the  frontiers  of  the  state 
respecting  the  ravages  of  the  Indians,  and  the  murders  which  they  have  com- 
mitted at  this  early  season,  leaves  no  room  to  doubt  of  their  determination  to 
exert  their  utmost  power  to  distress  us  during  the  year,  and  confirms  the  ac- 
counts we  had  received  from  Fort  Pitt,  Washington  [county],  etc.,  of  the  com- 
binations formed  by  them  for  that  purpose."  —  Pres't  Sup.  Ex.  Coun.  to  Gen. 
Assem.,  April  2,  1782.     (See  also,  p.  99,  note  2,  and  p.  155  and  note  thereto.) 

1  It  will  be  observed  that,  in  the  above  letter,  the  declaration  of  General 
Irvine  that  Colonel  Marshel  "ordered  out  the  militia  [of  Washington  county] 
to  go  to  Muskingum  "  is  unequivocal;  and  that,  for  that  reason,  he  wrote  to 
him  for  his  official  "report  of  the  matter,"  and  for  that  of  Colonel  William- 
son, who  commanded  the  party.  But  why  "go  to  Muskingum  "  (that  is,  to 
that  branch  of  the  river  now  known  as  the  Tuscarawas)?  Leinbach  (ante, 
p.  235,  note)  answers  the  question:  "  In  order  to  destroy  three  Indian  set- 
tlements of  which  they  [the  militia]  seemed  to  be  sure  of  being  the  towns  of 
some  enemy  Indians  [that  is,  warriors  —  Marauding  Indians]." 

'For  a  notice  of  David  Williamson,  see  Appendix  M, —  Williamson  to 
Irvine,  June  1'6,  1162,  note. 


Appendix  G.  ?..^1 

I  have  inquiries  making  in  other  quarters;  —  when  any  well 
authenticated  accounts  come  to  my  knowledge,  they  shall  be 
transmitted. 


IX. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  9,  1782. 
Sir: —  Since  my  letter  of  the  third  instant  to  your  excel- 
lency, Mr.  Pentecost1  and  Mr.  Canon2  have  been  with  me. 
They  and  every  intelligent  person  whom  I  have  conversed  with 
on  the  subject,3  are  of  opinion  that  it  will  be  almost  impossi- 
ble ever  to  obtain  a  just  account  of  the  conduct  of  the  militia 
at  Muskingum.4     No  man  can  give  any  account  except  some 

1  Dorsey  Pentecost;  a  resident  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and,  at 
the  above  date,  a  member  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  his  state.  His 
home  was  about  six  miles  a  little  to  the  east  of  north  of  the  present  town  of 
Washington,  the  county  seat  of  that  county. 

2  John  Canon;  a  prominent  citizen  of  Washington  county,  at  the  above  date, 
and  a  member  of  the  assembly.  (For  a  notice  of  him,  see  Appendix  J, — 
Marshel  to  Irvine,  April  2,  1782,  note.) 

3  Among  those  talked  with  by  Irvine  was  John  Carpenter,  who  had  escaped 
from  the  savages,  as  hereafter  mentioned.  (See  Cincinnati  Commercial,  May 
24,  1873.) 

4  The  following  official  letters  sent  by  Pentecost  to  Moore  give  information 
concerning  the  "  Gnadenhuetten  affair :" 

[I-] 

"  Pittsburgh,  May  8th,  1782. 

"Dear  Sir: — I  arrived  at  home  last  Thursday,  without  any  particular  acci- 
dent. Yesterday  I  came  to  this  place;  have  had  a  long  conference  with  Gen- 
eral Irvine  and  Colonel  Gibson,  on  the  subject  of  public  matters,  particularly 
respecting  the  late  excursion  to  Kushocton  [the  Tuscarawasl.  That  affair 
[killing  the  Moravian  Indians]  is  a  subject  of  great  speculation  here, —  some 
condemning,  others  applauding  the  measure;  but  the  accounts  are  so  various 
that  it  is  not  only  difficult,  but  almost,  indeed  entirely  impossible  to  ascer- 
tain the  real  truth.  No  person  can  give  intelligence  but  those  that  were  along; 
and,  notwithstanding  there  seems  to  have  been  some  difference  amongst 
themselves  about  that  business,  yet  they  will  say  nothing ;  but  this  far  I  be- 
lieve may  be  depended  on,  that  they  killed  rather  deliberately  the  innocent 
with  the  guilty,  and  it  is  likely  the  majority  was  the  former.  I  have  heard  it 
insinuated  that  about  thirty  or  forty  only  of  the  party  gave  their  consent  or 
assisted  in  the  catastrophe.     .     .     . 

"  It  is  said  here,  and  I  believe  with  truth,  that  sundry  articles  were  found 
amongst  the  [Moravian!  Indians  that  were  taken  from  the  inhabitants  of 
16 


'.','?  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

of  the  party  themselves;  if,  therefore,  an  inquiry  should  ap- 
pear serious,  they  are  not  obliged  nor  will  they  give  evidence. 
For  this  and  other  reasons,  I  am  of  opinion  further  inquiry 
into  the  matter  will  not  only  be  fruitless,  but,  in  the  end,  may 
be  attended  with  disagreeable  consequences. 

Washington  county,  and  that  the  [Moravian]  Indians  confessed  themselves 
tbat,  when  they  set  out  from  St.  Duskie  [Sandusky],  ten  warriors  came  with 
them, who  had  went  into  the  settlements,  and  that  four  of  them  were  then  in  the 
[Moravian]  towns,  who  had  returned.  If  those  [Moravian]  Indians  that  were 
killed  were  really  friends,  they  must  have  been  very  imprudent  to  return  and 
settle  at  a  place  they  knew  the  whites  had  been  at,  and  would  go  to  again, 
without  giving  us  notice  and,  besides,  to  bring  warriors  with  them,  who  had 
come  into  the  settlements  and  after  murdering  would  return  to  their  towns 
and  of  course  draw  people  after  them,  filled  with  revenge,  indignation,  and 
sorrow  for  the  loss  of  their  friends,  their  wives,  and  their  children.     .     .     . 

"  Dorsey  Pentecost." 

[II.] 

"  Pittsburgh,  May  9,  1782. 

"  Dear  Sir: — Since  writing  the  letter  that  accompanies  this,  I  have  had  an- 
other and  more  particular  conversation  with  General  Irvine  on  the  subject  of 
the  late  excursion  to  Kushacton  [the  Tuscarawas];  and,  upon  the  whole,  I  find 
that  it  will  be  impossible  to  get  an  impartial  and  fair  account  of  that  affair; 
for,  although  sundry  persons  that  were  in  [the]  company  may  disapprove  of  the 
whole  or  every  part  of  the  conduct  [of  those  engaged  in  the  killing],  yet  from 
their  connection  they  will  not  be  willing,  nor  can  they  be  forced  to  give  testi- 
mony, as  it  affects  themselves.  And  the  people  here  are  greatly  divided  in 
sentiment  about  it;  and  on  [an]  investigation  may  produce  serious  effects,  and 
at  least  leave  us  as  ignorant  as  when  we  began,  and  instead  of  rendering  a 
service  may  produce  a  confusion  and  ill-will  amongst  the  people;  yet  I  think 
it  necessary  that  [the  supreme  executive]  council  [of  Pa.]  should  take  some 
cognizance  or  notice  of  the  matter  and  in  such  a  time  as  may  demonstrate 
their  disapprobation  of  such  parts  of  their  conduct  as  are  censurable ;  other- 
wise, it  may  be  alleged  that  [the  Pennsylvania]  government,  tacitly  at  least, 
have  encouraged  the  killing  of  women  and  children;  and  in  a  proclamation 
of  this  kind,  it  might  be  well  not  only  to  recommend  but  to  forbid  that,  in 
future  excursions  [expeditions],  that  women,  children,  and  infirm  persons, 
should  not  be  killed, —  so  contrary  to  the  law  of  arms  as  well  as  Christianity. 

"  1  hope  a  mode  of  proceeding  something  like  this  would  produce  some  good 
effects  and  perhaps  soften  the  minds  of  the  people;  for  it  is  really  no  wonder 
that  those  who  have  lost  all  that  is  near  and  dear  to  them,  go  out  with  deter- 
mined revenge   and  extirpation  of  all  Indians.     .     .     . 

"Dorsey  Pentecost." 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  "a  certain  John  Carpenter"  was  captured  by 
the  savages  previous  to  the  militia  being  called  out  by  Marshel  "to  goto 
Muskingum  "  (ante,  p.  239,  note  4).    He  afterwards  escaped  from  his  captors. 


Appendix  G.  r,J. '/.',' 

A  volunteer  expedition  is  talked  of  against  Sandusky,  which, 
if  well  conducted,  may  be  of  great  service  to  this  country.  If 
they  behave  well  on  this  occasion,  it  may  also,  in  some  meas- 

Carpenter's  report  as  published  in  the  Pennsylvania  Packet  of  April  l(3th, 
1782,  was  as  follows: 

"  The  person  above  mentioned  [John  Carpenter]  to  have  escaped  from  the 
enemy  says  that  he  was  taken  by  six  Indians,  two  of  which  called  themselves 
4  Moravians, '  and  spoke  good  Dutch  [German]  and  were  the  most  severe  and 
ill-natured  to  him.  He  was  taken  to  the  above  towns  [previously  mentioned  as 
'  Indian  towns  upon  the  Muskingum ']  and  from  thence  four  of  the  above 
Indians  [who  had  captured  Carpenter]  set  out  with  him  for  St.  Duskie  [San- 
dusky]. The  second  clay  of  their  march,  in  the  morning,  he  was  sent  out  for 
the  horses,  when  he  left  them,  and  being  a  good  woodsman  came  off  clear, 
and  got  to  Fort  Pitt  [reaching  the  settlements  before  the  militia  started  fcr 
the  "  Muskingum"]. 

"While  at  Muskingum,  the  two  Moravian  Indians  learnt  [taught]  him  an 
Indian  song,  which  they  frequently  made  him  sing,  by  way  of  insult,  and  af- 
terward interpreted  to  him  in  obscene  language ;  and  he  [Carpenter]  left  them 
[the  two  Moravian  Indians]  at  Muskingum,  where  they  stayed  in  order  to  go 
out  with  the  next  party  against  our  settlements." 

The  following  contains  additional  particulars  of  Carpenter's  escape: 

"A  man  of  the  name  of  John  Carpenter  was  taken  early  in  the  month  of 
March,  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  place  [Wellsburgh,  Brooke  county,  West 
Virginia].  There  had  been  several  warm  days,  but  the  night  preceding  his 
capture  there  was  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  His  two  horses  which  they  [the 
savages]  took  with  him,  nearly  perished  in  swimming  the  Ohio.  The  Indians 
as  well  as  himself,  suffered  severely  with  the  cold  before  they  reached  the  Mo- 
ravian towns  on  the  Muskingum  [that  is,  the  branch  now  known  as  the 
Tuscarawas].  In  the  morning  after  the  first  [2d]  day's  journey  beyond  the 
Moravian  towns,  the  Indians  sent  out  Carpenter  to  bring  in  the  horses  which 
had  been  turned  out  in  the  evening,  after  being  hobbled.  The  horses  had 
made  a  circuit  and  fallen  into  the  trail  by  which  they  came  the  preceding  day, 
and  were  making  their  way  homeward.  When  he  overtook  the  horses  and  had 
taken  off  their  fetters,  as  he  said,  he  had  to  make  a  most  awful  decision.  He 
had  a  chance  and  barely  a  chance,  to  make  his  escape,  with  a  certainty  of 
death  should  he  attempt  it  without  success;  on  the  other  hand  the  horrible 
prospect  of  being  tortured  to  death  by  fire,  presented  itself,  as  he  was  the 
first  prisoner  taken  that  spring;  of  course,  the  general  custom  of  the  Indians 
of  burning  the  first  prisoner  every  spring,  doomed  him  to  the  flames.  After 
spending  a  few  minutes  in  making  his  decision,  he  resolved  on  attempting  an 
escape,  and  effected  it  by  way  of  Forts  Laurens,  Mcintosh,  and  [Fort  Pitt] 
Pittsburgh.  If  I  recollect  rightly,  he  brought  both  his  horses  home  with  him. 
This  happened  in  the  year  1782." — Doddridge's  Notes  (new  ed.),  pp.  263, 
264.  Compare,  in  this  connection,  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  May  24,  1873, 
as  to  Carpenter's  capture  and  escape.  This  was  the  same  Carpenter  previously 
mentioned  (ante,  p.  197,  note)  as  a  new  state  justice  of  the  peace. 


Washington— Irvine  Correspond*  nee. 


ure,  atone  for  the  barbarity  they  are  charged  with  at  Mus- 
kingum.1 They  have  consulted  me  and  shall  have  every  coun- 
tenance in  my  power,  if  their  numbers,  arrangements,  etc., 
promise  a  prospect  of  success. 

Another  kind  of  expedition  is  also  much  talked  of,  which 
is  to  emigrate  and  set  up  a  new  state.  This  matter  is  carried 
so  far  as   to  advertise  a  day  of  general  rendezvous  (the  25th 

infant).     A  certain  Mr.  J is  said  to  be  at  the  head  of  this 

party.  lie  has  a  form  of  constitution  actually  written  by  him- 
self for  the  new  government.  I  am  well  informed  he  is  now 
on  the  east  side  of  the  mountain  trying  to  purchase  or  other- 
wise provide  artillery  and  stores.  A  number  of  people,  I 
really  believe,  have  serious  thoughts  of  this  matter;  but  I  am 
led  to  think  they  will  not  be  able,  at  this  time,  to  put  their 
plan  into  execution. 

Should  they  be  so  mad  as  to  attempt  it,  I  think  they  will 
either  be  cut  to  pieces  or  they  will  be  obliged  to  take  protec- 
tion from  and  join  the  British.  Perhaps  some  have  this  in 
view;  though  a  great  majority  are,  I  think,  well  meaning  peo- 
ple, who  have  at  present  no  other  views  than  to  acquire  large 
tracts  of  land. 

As  I  thought  a  knowledge  of  these  intentions  might  be  use- 
ful to  the  executives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  the  emi- 
grants being  now  subjects  of  both  states,  I  have  written  to  the 
governor  of  Virginia  on  the  subject  also.1 

Mr.  J has  been  in  England  since  the  commencement 

of  the  present  war.     Some  people  think  he  is  too  trifling  a 

'The  expedition  here  spoken  of  is  the  one  which  marched  against  Sandusky 
under  Col.  Win.  Crawford.  It  has  been  supposed  by  some,  owing  to  the 
loose  wording  of  the  paragraph,  that  the  same  men  who  took  part  in  Will- 
iamson's expedition  were  also  those  who  afterward  marched  against  San- 
dusky; but  Williamson's  men,  as  we  have  seen,  numbered  only  about  one 
hundred  who  crossed  the  Ohio,  and  were  exclusively  of  Washington  county 
militia  (ante,  p.  236,  note  1);  while  the  volunteers  against  Sandusky  numbered 
four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  and  were  from  Washington  and  Westmoreland 
cjuntif  s,  Pennsylvania,  and  from  Ohio  county,  Virginia.  (See  Appendix  J, — 
M.u-ii-l  to  Irvine,  May  29,  1782.) 

Appendix  H, —  Irvine  to  Harrison,  April  20,  1782.  It  is  evident  from 
what  Irvine  says  that  he  refers  to  the  establishing  of  a  new  state  beyond  the 
Ohio,  in  the  Indian  country.     (Ante,  p.  109.) 


Appendix  G.  .'  'r~> 

being  to  be  worthy  of  notice.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  has  now 
many  followers;  and  it  is,  I  think,  highly  probable  that  men 

of  more  influence  than  lie  are  privately  at  work.     J ,  it  is 

said,  was  once  in  affluent  circumstances — is  now  indigent  — 
was  always  open  to  corruption.  I  have  no  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  man;  and  have  this  character  of  him  in  too  gen- 
eral terms  to  be  able  to  assert  it  is  genuine.1 

No  considerable  damage  has  been  done  by  the  savages  since 
my  arrival  here  last.  The  whole  of  killed  and  captured  that  I 
have  any  account  of  amounts  only  to  six  souls.  I  think  they 
must  be  either  preparing  for  a  great  stroke  or  apprehensive  of 
a  visit  from  us.2 


X. —  Mooke   to   Ik  VINE. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  May  30,  1782. 

Sir: — Your  favors  of  the  2d,  3d  and  9th  of  the  present 

month,  with  the  representations  made  by  Colonel  Williamson 

and  Colonel  Marshel,3  have  been  read  in  council  and  shall  be 

immediately  laid  before  congress4  as  a  matter  of  high  impor- 

1  That  any  of  those  favoring  the  scheme  had  intentions  of  taking  protection 
from,  and  joining  the  British,  is  possible  but  very  doubtful;  that  some  engaged 
in  the  movement  were  stimulated  by  prospects  of  preferment,  is  probable;  but 
that  a  great  majority  had,  as  Irvine  expresses  it,  "no  ether  views  than  to 
acquire  large  tracts  of  land,"  or,  perhaps,  of  obtaining  cheap  lands,  is  quite 
certain. 

2  There  is  another  copy,  evidently  the  first  draft  of  this  letter,  extant,  in  the 
handwriting  of  Irvine,  which  is  different1}'  arranged  and  somewhat  differently 
worded  from  the  above. 

3  The  fact  that  the  letters  of  Marshel  and  Williamson  here  referred  to,  and 
which  had  been  obtained  by  Irvine,  were  the  official  reports  of  the  expedition 
that  resulted  in  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  —  "the  Gnadenhuetten 
affair  "  —  naturally  awakens  an  interest  in  their  recovery;  all  efforts,  however, 
in  that  direction  have  thus  far  been  fruitless. 

4  The  two  letters  were  sent  by  the  governor  to  the  Pennsylvania  delegates  in 
congress,  as  the  following  proceedings  show: 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  Monday,  June  3,  1782. 

"The  council  took  into  consideration  several  letters  from  General  Irvine, 
respecting  a  proposed  emigration  from  western  parts  of  the  state,  and  respect- 
ing the  killing  of  a  number  of  Indians  at  Muskingum  [on  the  branch  now 
known  as  the  Tuscarawas]     .     .     .     and  thereupon 

"  Ordered,  that  the  letters  from  General  Irvine  of  the  third  and  ninth  inst. 


QJ^G  Washington-] rvine  Correspondence. 

tance  to  the  reputation  of  this  state,  and  to  the  general  interest 
and  honor  of  the  United  States.1  We  request  that  you  will 
continue  your  inquiries  on  this  suhject  and  transmit  us  such 
information  from  time  to  time  as  may  come  to  your  knowl- 
edge tending  to  elucidate  this  dark  transaction.2 

The  proposed  immigration  appears  to  be  a  dangerous  meas- 
ure; and  if  the  circumstances  which  you  mention  respecting 

[ult.J,  with  the  representations  of  Colonels  Marshel  and  Williamson,  be  laid 
before  congress,  and  that  they  be  transmitted  to  the  delegates  of  the  state  in 
congress  for  that  purpose." 

Virginia,  also,  took  measures  to  inquire  into  the  "  Gnadenhuetten  affair,"  as 
the  following  from  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  June  11,  1782  (No.  896),  shows: 

"  Richmond,  Va.,  June  1  [1782J. 

"Reports  from  our  northwestern  frontier  mention  some  very  daring  inroads 
of  the  Indians,  who,  it  is  said,  have  cut  off  several  families  settled  upon  the 
branches  of  the  Monongahela.  .  .  .  We  learn  that  [the  Virginia]  govern- 
ment have  appointed  persons  [Colonel  William  Crawford  and  another]  to  in- 
quire into  the  circumstances  of  the  late  massacre  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at 
the  Muskingum  towns,  which  we  have  great  reason  to  fear  has  been  a  very 
unjustifiable  aggression." 

1  These  words  only  tend  to  increase  the  anxiety  to  know  the  particulars  of 
"the  representations"  made  by  Marshel  and  Williamson  concerning  the 
"Gnadenhuetten  affair." 

2  In  a  message  sent  the  general  assembly  of  Pennsylvania  by  President 
Moore,  August  14th,  following,  he  says:  "We  had  great  reason  to  appre- 
hend a  severe  blow  would  be  aimed  at  the  frontiers  by  the  Indians.  Our 
fears,  in  this  respect,  have  been  but  too  well  justified  by  events  that  have  since 
happened,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  blow  has  fallen  with  re- 
doubled force,  in  consequence  of  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at  Mus- 
kingum [upon  that  branch  now  known  as  the  Tuscarawas],  an  act  which 
never  had  our  approbation  or  countenance  in  any  manner  whatever."  The 
report  of  the  committee  of  the  assembly  upon  so  much  of  his  message  as  re- 
lated to  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  was  made  the  next  day,  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Your  committee  are  of  opinion  that  an  inquiry,  on  legal  principles,  ought 
to  be  instituted  respecting  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians,  at  Muskin- 
gum —  an  act  disgraceful  to  humanity  and  productive  of  the  most  disagreeable 
and  dangerous  consequences. 

"  Resolved,  therefore,  that  this  house  will  give  every  support  in  their  power 
to  the  supreme  executive  council  toward  prosecuting  an  inquiry  respecting  the 
killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at  Muskingum." 

Nothing  further,  however,  was  ever  done  in  an  official  way,  either  by  the 
-Lutes,  Pennsylvania  or  Virginia,  "tending  to  elucidate  the  dark 
transaction." 


Appendix  G.  gift 

Mr.  J can   be  ascertained,  he  ought  to  be  secured  as  a 

British  emissary  employed  to  inveigle  away  our  citizens  and 
place  them  in  a  situation  which  must  compel  them  to  put 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  British  as  the  only 
means  by  which  they  can  be  secured  from  the  ravages  of  the 
Indians.  Such  an  event  would  afford  a  plausible  story,  which 
the  British  would  seize  with  avidity  and  represent  at  every 
court  in  Europe  as  an  instance  of  submission  to  them  on  the 
part  of  America; — a  story  which  might  be  extremely  injuri- 
ous to  America,  and  such  as  no  man  who  has  a  due  regard  to 
his  country  would  give  a  countenance  to  by  any  act  of  his. 

The  recruiting  service  is  of  so  much  importance  that  we 
cannot  forbear  to  inquire  anxiously  what  success  you  have  in 
it  and  to  request  you  will  transmit  to  us  a  return  of  the  re- 
cruits you  have  obtained  as  early  as  possible. 

As  to  the  expedition  you  mentioned,  we  can  only  say,  we 
confide  in  your  zeal  and  prudence  to  direct  the  force  which 
may  be  in  your  power  in  the  most  effectual  manner  for  cover- 
ing the  frontiers.1 

XL — Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  5,  1782. 

Sir: — There  have  been  many  meetings  in  this  county  re- 
specting taxes.  It  is  said,  and  I  fear  with  truth,  that  a  great 
majority  of  the  people  are  determined  not  to  pay  any  in  any 
mode.  It  is  also  said  that  they  are  advised  to  this  by  some  of 
the  first  people  of  the  country. 

The  running  the  boundary  line  has  been  again  put  a  stop  to 
by  a  party  of  men  who  call  themselves  Virginians.     It  seems 

1  The  carefully  prepared  instructions  issued  by  Irvine  to  the  officer  who  was 
to  command  the  expedition  against  Sandusky  (p.  118,  note);  the  sparing  of 
his  favorite  aid-de-camp,  John  Rose,  to  act  as  his  representative  upon  that 
enterprise;  and  the  sending  of  one  of  his  surgeons  to  accompany  the  volun- 
teers into  the  wilderness;  show  conclusively  that  he  exercised  not  only  the 
proper  zeal  but  great  prudence  in  directing,  so  far  as  it  was  in  his  power,  the 
force  afterward  commanded  by  Col.  Win.  Crawford,  "  in  the  most  effectual 
manner  for  covering  the  frontiers,"  in  hopes  that  it  would  give  ease  and  safety 
to  the  inhabitants  thereof. 


2Jf8  Washington-Zrvi?ie  Correspondence. 

the  commissioner  on  the  part  of  Virginia  did  not  attend.  Mr. 
McClean  has  beeu  with  nn_'  to  ask  my  advice  how  to  proceed, 
and  to  know  whether  I  could  spare  any  continental  troops  to 
assist.  I  conld  not  well  spare  them;  besides, on  maturely  con- 
ring  the  circumstances,  I  was  of  opinion  it  would  not 
be  proper  for  me  to  enforce  the  business  with  continental 
troopson  the  part  of  Pennsylvania;  particularly  as  the  com- 
missioner from  Virginia  did  not  attend.  I  might  be  charged, 
perhaps,  with  promoting  a  quarrel  between  the  two  states.  I 
therefore  advised  Mr.  McClean  to  call  on  Colonels  Cook  [lieu- 
tenant of  Westmoreland  county],  and  Marshel  [lieutenant  of 
Washington  county],  and  get  them  to  assist  him  in  represent- 
ing fully  to  council  this  transaction,  as  well  as  the  supposed 
cause  of  such  conduct,  and  to  bring  if  possible  into  view  the 
principal  secret  actors  in  this  and  other  (I  think  treasonable) 
acts.  I  believe  this  is  done  or  will  be  in  a  few  days.  I  also 
saw  Colonel  Marshel,  who  informed  me  he  was  collecting  qual- 
ifications for  this  purpose.1     I  think  Colonel  Marshel  is  one  of 

1  In  August,  1763,  Charles  Mason  and  Jeremiah  Dixon,  of  London,  England, 
were  selected  by  Lord  Baltimore  and  the  Penns  to  complete  the  boundary  line 
between  the  provinces  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  They  were  both  emi- 
nent surveyors.  The  line  they  run  has  received  their  names — "Mason  and 
Dixon's  line;"  figuratively,  the  dividing  line  between  the  northern  and  southern 
states  of  the  Union. 

Mason  and  Dixon's  line  was  extended  in  1767  to  a  point  a  little  west  of  what 
is  now  Mount  Morris,  in  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania;  but  this  was  a  pro- 
ceeding wholly  independent  of  Virginia;  and  it  was  the  intention  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  have  extended  the  line  to  what  was  considered  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  the  state.  The  surveyors,  however,  were  stopped  by  the  Indians  at  the 
point  just  mentioned.  In  1781,  for  the  sake  of  settling  the  minds  of  the 
people  and  preventing  further  disputes  among  the  borderers,  a  temporary  lino 
was  proposed  to  be  run  by  common  surveyors  from  the  termination  of  Mason 
and  Dixon's  line,  to  a  point  twenty-three  miles  distant,  that  being  the  extent 
of  five  degrees,  by  common  computation,  from  the  Delaware  river,  which  was 
the  limit  west  of  Pennsylvania.  To  run  this  temporary  line,  Alexander  Ale- 
Clean  was  appointed  in  1781,  on  the  part  of  Pennsylvania.  But  his  labors 
were  interrupted.  He  was  re-appointed  in  April,  1782,  as  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  ex  eutive  council  of  Pennsyl- 
vania: 

"Philadelphia,  April6,  1782. 

"Ordered,  Thai  Alexander  McClean,  IDsquire,  be  appointed  on  the  part  of 
Pennsylvania,  to  run  the  line  between  this  state  and  Virginia  agreeably  to  in- 


Appendix  G.  2^9 

the  most  active,  zealous  supporters  of  government  in  this 
country. 

This  moment  Dr.  Knight1  has  arrived,  the  Burgeon  I  sent 
with  the  volunteers  to  Sandusky.  lie  was  several  days  in  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  but  fortunately  made  his  escape  from 
his  keeper,  who  was  conducting  him  to  another  settlement  to 
be  burned.  He  brings  the  disagreeable  account  that  Colonel 
Crawford  and  all  the  rest  (about  twelve  to  the  doctor's  knowl- 
edge) who  fell  into  their  hands,  were  burned  to  death  in  a 
most  shocking  manner;2  the  unfortunate  colonel,  in  particu- 
lar, was  over  four  hours  in  burning.  The  reason  they  assign 
for  this  uncommon  barbarity  is  retaliation  for  the  Moravian 
affair.  The  doctor  adds,  that  he  understood  those  people  [the 
Moravian  Indians]  had  laid  aside  their  religious  principles,  and 

struetionsto  be  given  him  for  that  purpose  and  that  his  appointment  be  under 
the  seal  of  the  state."  Thereupon,  a  resolution  of  the  Virginia  house  of  del- 
egates was  passed  as  follows: 

"In  the  House  of  Delegates, 

"Saturday,  the  1st  of  Jane,  1782. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  governor  be  empowered  and  required  to  appoint  a  sur- 
veyor who  shall  with  such  person  or  persons  as  may  be  appointed  by  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania,  extend  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  from  the  western  termina- 
tion thereof  23  miles  due  west  and  mark  the  same;  and  from  thence  to  run 
and  mark  a  meridian  line  to  the  Ohio  river  to  answer  the  purpose  of  a  tem- 
porary boundary ;  and  that  the  governor  do  order  out  such  a  number  of  the 
militia  as  may  be  necessary  for  a  guard  during  the  time  the  said  surveyor 
shall  be  running  and  marking  the  said  line." 

This  was  agreed  to  June  6,  1782,  by  the  senate;  but  too  late  for  the  surveyor 
appointed  to  reach  the  mouth  of  Dunkard  creek,  where  Mr.  McClean  had 
gathered  his  stores,  and  where  on  the  tenth  of  that  month  a  party  of  horse- 
men, about  thirty  in  number,  appeared  on  the  opposite  side  of  that  river  and 
opposed  his  beginning  the  survey.  (See  Appendix  J, — Marshel  to  Irvine,  June 
15, 1782.)  However,  in  November  following,  in  conjunction  with  Joseph  Neville, 
a  surveyor  appointed  by  Virginia,  he  finished  the  temporary  line ;  the  perma- 
nent one  to  the  Ohio  not  being  completed  until  1785. 

1  By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Irvine  made  a  mistake  in  the  date  of  Knight's 
arrival,  in  his  letter  to  Washington  of  July  11th  (ante,  p.  126).  It  should 
have  been  July  5th. 

2  In  Irvine's  letter  to  Washington  (ante,  p.  126),  written  seven  days  later, 
when  Dr.  Knight  had  somewhat  recovered  from  his  sufferings  in  the  wilder- 
ness, his  account  is  much  more  accurately  given  than  in  the  above.  All  the 
prisoners  then  known  by  the  doctor  to  have  suffered  death,  except  Crawford, 
were  tomahawked. 


850  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

have  gone  to  war;  that  he  saw  two  of  them  bring  in  scalps 
whom  lie  formerly  knew.1 

The  people  generally  seem  anxious  to  make  another  trial, 
and  press  me  to  take  command  of  them.  Their  proposals  are 
to  raise  volunteers,  provisions  and  horses,  by  subscription,  at 
their  own  expense,  without  making  any  charge  against  the 
public,  unless  they  should  hereafter  think  proper  to  reimburse 
them.  They  also  promise  to  obey  orders,  etc.  The  first  of 
Augnst  is  the  time  talked  of  to  march.  I  have  not  yet  deter- 
mined whether  to  go  or  not,  but  in  the  meantime  I  am  getting 
in  returns  of  men,  horses  and  provision  subscribed.  The 
arrangement  made  for  covering  the  frontier  has  hitherto 
answered  well;  not  more  than  four  or  five  have  been  killed  the 
two  last  months  that  I  have  heard  of;  but  I  much  fear  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  keep  the  militia  out  much  longer  for  want  of 
provision. 

I  will,  next  opportunity,  transmit  a  return  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania troops  at  this  post  and  the  attestations  of  the  recruits. 


XII. —  Ikvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  1G,  17S2. 

Sir: — Enclosed  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  which  is  the  best  ac- 
count I  have  been  able  to  get  of  the  unfortunate  affair  related 
in  it.2 

The  express  sent  by  Mr.  Iluffnagle  through  timidity  and 
other  misconduct,  did  not  arrive  here  till  this  moment  (Tues- 
day, 10  o'clock),  though  he  left  llannastown  Sunday  evening, 
which  I  fear  will  put  it  out  of  my  power  to  come  up  with  the 
enemy,  they  will  have  got  so  far  if  they  please;  however,  I 

1  How  completely  is  now  reversed  what  lias  for  years  been  considered  as  one 
the  facts  of  western  history,  viz.:  that  the  object  of  Crawford's  expedition 
was  to  murder  the  remnant  of  the  .Moravian  Indians  upon  tin;  Sandusky. 
Wefmd,  instead,  the  enterprise  directed  wholly  against  "enemy  Indians,"  and 
il.at  -'.in"  "  .Moravians  "  gone  back  into  heathenism,  actually  fought  against 
the  A  in.  ri'  .in-,  on  that  occasion. 

2  It  is  probable  that  the  letter  referred  to  by  Irvine  was  one  written  by 

I  Hutfhagle  to  him,  hereafter  given.    (See  Appendix  M,— Huffhagle 
to  Irvine,  Juiy  11,  1782.) 


Appendix  G.  251 

have  sent  several  reconnoitering  parties  to  try  to  discover 
whether  they  have  left  the  settlements  and  what  route  they 
have  taken.1 

1  Huffnagle  soon  after  wrote  the  following  to  Moore : 

"  Font  Reed,  July,  1782. 
"Sir: — I  am  sorry  to  inform  your  excellency,  that  last  Saturday,  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Hannastown  was  attacked  by  about  one  hundred 
whites  and  blacks  [Indians].  We  found  several  jackets,  the  buttons  marked 
with  the  king's  eighth  regiment.  At  the  same  time  this  town  was  attacked, 
another  party  attacked  Fort  Miller,  about  four  miles  from  this  place.  Han- 
nastown and  Fort  Miller,  in  a  short  time,  were  reduced  to  ashes,  about  twenty 
of  the  inhabitants  killed  and  taken,  about  one  hundred  head  of  cattle,  a 
number  of  horses  and  hogs  killed.  Such  wanton  destruction  I  never  beheld, — 
burning  and  destroying  as  they  went.  The  people  of  this  place  behaved 
bravely;  retired  to  the  fort,  left  their  all  a  prey  to  the  enemy,  and  with  twenty 
men  only,  and  nine  guns  in  good  order,  we  stood  the  attack  till  dark.  At 
first,  some  of  the  enemy  came  close  to  the  pickets,  but  were  soon  obliged  to 
retire  farther  off.  I  cannot  inform  you  what  number  of  the  enemy  may  be 
killed,  as  we  see  them  from  the  fort  carrying  off  several. 

"The  situation  of  the  inhabitants  is  deplorable,  a  number  of  them  not 
having  a  blanket  to  lie  on,  nor  a  second  suit  to  put  on  their  backs.  Affairs 
are  strangely  managed  here;  where  the  fault  lies  I  will  not  presume  to  say. 
This  place  being  of  the  greatest  consequence  to  the  frontiers, —  to  be  left  desti- 
tute of  men,  arms,  and  ammunition,  is  surprising  to  me,  although  frequent 
applications  have  been  made.  Your  excellency,  I  hope,  will  not  be  offended 
my  mentioning  that  I  think  it  would  not  be  amiss  that  proper  inquiry  should 
be  made  about  the  management  of  the  public  affairs  in  this  county;  and  also 
to  recommend  to  the  legislative  body  to  have  some  provision  made  for  the 
poor,  distressed  people  here.  Your  known  humanity  convinces  me  that  you 
will  do  everything  in  your  power  to  assist  us  in  our  distressed  situation.  I 
have  the  honor  to  be  your  excellency's  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"Mich.  Huffnagle. 
"His  Excellency,  William  Moore,  Esq'r,  Pres't,  Philadelphia." 
The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Ephraim  Douglass  at 
Pittsburgh,  July  26,  1782: 

"  My  last  contained  some  account  of  the  destruction  of  Hannastown,  but  it 
was  an  imperfect  one  —  the  damage  was  greater  than  we  knew,  and  attended 
with  circumstances  different  from  my  representation  of  them.  There  were 
nine  killed  and  twelve  carried  off  prisoners,  and,  instead  of  some  of  the 
houses  without  the  fort  being  defended  by  our  people,  they  all  retired  within 
the  miserable  stockade,  and  the  enemy  possessed  themselves  of  the  forsaken 
houses,  from  whence  they  kept  a  continual  fire  upon  the  fort  from  about 
twelve  o'clock  till  night,  without  doing  any  other  damage  than  wounding  one 
little  girl  within  the  walls.  They  carried  away  a  great  number  of  horses  and 
everything  of  value  in  the  deserted  houses,  destroyed  all  the  cattle,  hogs,  and 


.'■' !  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

I  fear  this  stroke  will  intimidate  the  inhabitants  so  much 
that  it  will  not  be  possible  to  rally  them  or  persuade  them  to 
make  a  Stand;  nothing  in  my  power  shall  be  left  undone  to 
countenance  and  encourage  them.  But  I  am  sorry  to  acquaint 
your  excellency,  there  is  little  in  my  power — a  small  garrison 
scantily  supplied  with  provision,  rarely  more  than   from  day 

poultry  within  their  reach,  and  burned  all  the  houses  in  the  village  except  two; 
these  they  also  set  fire  to,  but  fortunately  it  did  not  extend  itself  so  far  as  to 
consume  them;  several  houses  round  the  country  were  destroyed  in  the  same 
manner,  and  a  number  of  unhappy  families  either  murdered  or  carried  off 
captives  —  some  have  since  suffered  a  similar  fate  in  different  parts  —  hardly 
a  day  but  they  have  been  discovered  in  some  quarter  of  the  country,  and  the 
poor  inhabitants  struck  with  terror  thro1  the  whole  extent  of  our  frontier. 
Where  this  party  set  out  from  is  not  certainly  known;  several  circumstances 
induce  the  belief  of  their  coming  from  the  heads  of  the  Alleghany  or  toward 
Niagara,  rather  than  from  Sandusky  or  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Erie.  The 
great  number  of  whites  known  by  their  language  to  have  been  in  the  party, 
the  direction  of  their  retreat  when  they  left  the  country,  which  was  toward 
the  Kittanning,  and  no  appearance  of  their  tracks,  either  coming  or  going, 
having  been  discovered  by  the  officer  and  party  which  the  general  ordered  on 
that  service  beyond  the  river,  all  conspire  to  support  this  belief." 
The  letter  which  follows  contains  information  also  upon  the  same  subject: 

"  Pittsburgh,  July  30,  1782. 

"  Dear  Sir: —  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  writing  you  the  situation  of  our 
unhappy  country  at  present.  In  the  first  place,  I  make  no  doubt  but  you  have 
heard  of  the  bad  success  of  our  campaign  against  the  Indian  towns  [Craw- 
ford's campaign  against  Sandusky],  and  the  late  stroke  the  savages  have  given 
Hannastown,  which  was  all  reduced  to  ashes  except  two  houses,  exclusive  of  a 
small  fort  [Reed],  which  happily  saved  all  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  get  to  it. 
There  were  upwards  of  twenty  killed  and  taken,  the  most  of  whom  were 
women  and  children.  At  the  same  time,  a  small  fort  [Miller]  four  miles  from 
thence,  was  taken,  supposed  to  be  by  a  detachment  of  the  same  party.  I 
assure  you  that  the  situation  of  the.  frontiers  of  our  county  is  truly  alarming 
at  present,  and  worthy  our  most  serious  consideration.     .     .     . 

"  I  make  no  doubt  but  you  will  be  informed  of  a  campaign  that  is  to  be 
carried  against  the  Indians  by  the  middle  of  the  next  month.  General  Irvine 
is  to  command.  1  have  my  own  doubts.  I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  humble 
and  obedient  servant,  David  Im.max. 

"  Eonorable  [James]  Cunningham,  Esq'r,  Member  of  Council  from  Lan- 
.  Philadelphia.11 

The  followi  ig  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  General  Irvine  to  Washing- 
ton on  the  27th  of  January,  1788,  shows  the  origin  of  the  attack  upon  Ilan- 
n,  and  that  the  enemy  came  from  the  "heads  of  the  Alleghany,"  as 
Douglass  surmised:     "In  the  year  1782,  a  detachment  composed  of  three 


Appendix  G.  253 

to  day,  and  even  at  times  days  without  —  add  to  this  that,  in 
all  probability,  I  shall  be,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  left 
without  settlers  in  my  rear  to  draw  succors  from.  Ihave  not 
time  to  add  [more],  having  found  a  Mr.  Elliott  who  is  in- 
stantly setting  out  for  Lancaster,  from  whence  he  promises  to 
forward  this.  

XIII. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  25,  1782. 

Sir: —  The  destruction  of  Hannastown  put  the  people  gen- 
erally into  great  confusion  for  some  days.  The  alarm  is  partly 
over,  and  some  who  fled  are  returning  again  to  their  places; 
others  went  entirely  off.  I  have  got  the  lieutenant  of  the 
county  [Colonel  Edward  Cook.]  and  others  prevailed  on  to  en- 
courage some  of  the  inhabitants  to  re-occupy  Hannastown,  by 
keeping  a  post  or  small  guard  there.1 

Inclosed  are  duplicates  of  the  attestations  of  all  the  men 
enlisted  here.  The  success  in  recruiting  was  so  bad  and  the 
men  also  ordinary,  that  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  desist. 
Several  of  those  enlisted  turned  out  to  be  deserters,  one  in 
particular  [James  Gordon]  from  our  own  line,  whom  I  in- 
stantly executed,  which  I  hope  will  deter  others.  Perhaps  be- 
fore winter  some  few  better  men  may  be  got.  Mr.  Hnffnagle 
informed  me  he  had  provided  some  provision  (on  a  contract 
with  [the  supreme  executive]  council)  for  a  ranging  company 
and  some  militia  ordered  by  Colonel  Cook,2  —  and  being  in 

hundred  British,  and  five  hundred  Indians,  was  formed  and  actually  embarked 
in  canoes  on  Lake  Jadaque  [Chautauqua  Lake],  with  twelve  pieces  of  artil- 
lery, with  an  avowed  intention  of  attacking  Fort  Pitt.  This  expedition  .  .  . 
was  laid  aside  in  consequence  of  the  reported  repairs  and  strength  of  Fort 
Pitt,  carried  by  a  spy  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort. 

"They  then  contented  themselves  with  the  usual  mode  of  warfare,  by  send- 
ing small  parties  on  the  frontier,  one  of  which  burned  Hannastown."  (Ante, 
p.  140,  note  8.) 

1  Hannastown  continued  to  be  occupied  for  some  time  after  in  a  limited  way. 

2  It  will  be  seen  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Edward  Cook, 
lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  county,  to  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  that  he 
used  every  expedient  to  aid  those  who  suffered  by  the  attack  upon  Hannastown : 

"  Westmoreland  County,  September  2,  1782. 
"  Sir: —  It  may  be  necessary  to  inform  your  excellency  that  upon  an  applica- 


QSJf.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

extreme  pinch  for  cash  applied  to  me;  and,  as  there  was  no 
immediate  purpose  the  recruiting  money  conld  be  applied  to, 
1  Let  him  have  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  pounds.  lie 
promised  to  bring  me  your  excellency's  order  or  replace  the 
money,  neither  of  which  has  been  done.  I  beg  to  have  your 
excellency's  pleasure  in  the  matter,  that  in  case  you  should  not 
think  proper  to  place  it  to  his  account  and  give  me  credit,  I 
may  immediately  look  to  him  for  it.  The  remainder  shall  be 
either  kept  till  a  proper  time  to  begin  recruiting  again,  or 
disposed  of  as  you  think  proper  to  direct.1 


XIV. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  28,  17S2. 
Sir: — I  have  been  repeatedly  informed  that  a  certain  Mr. 
-,  an  attorney,  has  been  one  of  the  chief  advisers  of  the 


people  of  this  country  against  paying  taxes,  and  that  at  a 
numerous  meeting,  he  publicly  recommended  opposing  the 
collectors  by  violence.  I  presume  this  has  already  been  rep- 
resented to  your  excellency  by  some  civil  officers,  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace  of  "Washington  county  was  my  principal  in- 
formant, who  I,  at  the  time,  told  should  have  all  the  military 
under  my  command  to  assist,  if  necessary,  to  support  the  civil 
authority.  Xo  application  has  ever  been  made  to  me  for  any 
such  purpose.     My  reason  for  troubling  your  excellency  with 

tion  made  to  me  by  some  of  the  distressed  inhabitants  of  Hannastown  and 
the  vicinity  thereof,  I  have  allowed  them  to  enroll  themselves  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Brice  and  draw  rations  for  two  months,  upon  their  making 
every  exertion  in  their  power  to  keep  up  the  line  of  the  frontiers. 

"The  ranging  company,  consisting  of  about  twenty-two  privates  ond  two 
officers,  is  stationed  at  Ligonier  for  the  defense  of  that  quarter." 

1  From  the  following,  it  appears  that  Irvine  again  loaned  him  about  the 
same  amount  of  the  money  belonging  to  the  state: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  Auqust  22,  1782. 

"  Received  and  borrowed  from  Brigadier  General  William  Irvine,  one  hun- 
dred  and  thirty-two  pounds  and  eight  shillings,  specie  (monoy  belonging  to 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania),  which  we  promise  to  pay  to  General  Irvine  the  first 
day  of  October  next  or  bring  an  order  from  [the  BUpreme  executive]  council 
[of  Pa.]  on  him  for  that  sum.  Mich.  Hufknagle, 

"David  Duncan." 


Appendix  G.  255 

this  account  of  's  conduct  at  present  is,  that  I  under- 
stand lie  is  about  to  leave  this  country  immediately,  and  means 
to  go  to  Philadelphia,  and  also  expects  admittance  in  the 
supreme  court. 

XV. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  September  4,  1782. 

Sir: —  The  situation  of  affairs  on  the  frontiers  have  engaged 
the  serious  attention  of  both  the  council  and  general  assem- 
bly, the  result  of  which  has  been  a  conference  with  some  of 
the  delegates  of  congress,  in  which  it  has  been  agreed  to  pro- 
pose to  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  to  carry  three  ex- 
peditions into  the  Indian  country:  one  from  Fort  Pitt;  one 
from  Northumberland,  into  the  Genessee  country;  and  one 
toward  Oswego,  from  such  place  as  the  general  shall  think 
most  practicable. 

In  order  to  have  this  business  forwarded  in  the  most  decisive 
manner,  General  Potter1  on  the  part  of  council  and  Colonel 
[Robert]  Magaw2  on  the  part  of  the  general  assembly  are 
gone  to  headquarters  to  determine  on  this  proposal,  and  are 
expected  to  return  within  a  few  days. 

What  will  be  the  general's  sentiments  and  determination  on 
this  subject  it  is  not  possible,  at  present,  to  determine;  yet  it 
seems  to  be  proper  to  give  you  this  hint,  of  which  you  will 
make  such  use  as  you  may  find  occasion;  and  you  may  depend 
on  the  earliest  information  upon  the  return  of  the  commis- 
sioners from  headquarters.3 

1  Major  General  James  Potter,  at  that  date  vice  president  of  the  supreme 
executive  council  of  Pennsylvania. 

2  For  notice  of  Col.  Magaw,  see  Appendix  M, —  Magaw  to  Irvine,  Sep- 
tsrnber  10,  1782,  note. 

3  See  Magaw  to  Irvine,  just  cited,  for  a  full  description  of  the  visit  of  the 
commissioners  to  General  Washington  and  the  result  of  their  conference. 


256  Wash ington-lrvine  Correspondence. 


XVI. —  Irvine  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  9,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  excellency's 
favor  of  the  10th  [13th]  of  Augnst.1  Matters  have  been  so 
quiet  in  this  quarter  since  the  beginning  of  August,  that  I  could 
almost  wish  the  militia  may  not  come  up;  it  will  be  fatiguing 
to  them  and  expensive  to  the  public.  But  I  could  not  think 
myself  at  liberty  to  countermand  them,  not  knowing  the  true 
cause  of  their  being  ordered.2 


XVII. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  September  18,  1782. 

Sir: — An  expedition  from  Fort  Pitt  being  agreed  on,  and 

the  orders  relative  thereto  of  course  transmitted  to  you  by  the 

secretary  of  war,  we  now  transmit  to  you  an  estimate  of  the 

expense  for  your  information  of   the  idea  entertained  here 

1  Not  found.  It  is  evident  from  what  follows  and  from  the  tenor  of  a  sub- 
sequent letter  to  the  secretary  at  war  (Irvine  to  Lincoln,  September  12,  1782, 
ante,  p.  82)  that  it  gave  Irvine  information  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  militia 
from  the  counties  of  York  and  Cumberland  were  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Pitt. 
The  letter  of  Irvine  to  Lincoln,  just  mentioned,  and  the  proceedings  of 
the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania,  an  extract  from  which  is  given 
in  the  note  following,  fix  the  date  of  the  letter  from  Moore  to  Irvine  as  of  the 
13th  of  August,  instead  of  the  10th,  as  mentioned  above. 

3  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  executive 
council  of  Pennsylvania  of  August  loth,  1782: 

"  The  council  took  into  consideration  a  resolve  of  congress  of  the  8th  instant 
recommending  to  the  states  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  immediately  to 
draw  out  and  order  to  Fort  Pitt,  each  state  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  prop- 
erly officered  and  accoutred,  to  be  under  the  orders  of  the  commanding 
officer  of  that  post,  to  enable  the  said  officer  more  effectually  to  cover  and 
protect  the  country.  That  the  secretary  at  war  and  superintendent  of  finance 
take  order  that  proper  magazines  be  laid  up  in  the  said  fort,  which  may  en- 
able the  commanding  officer,  in  case  the  said  post  should  be  invested  by  the 
enemy,  to  render  it  tenable  until  relieved  ;  and  thereupon, 

"  Ordered,  That  the  lieutenant  of  the  county  of  York,  and  the  lieutenant 
of  the  county  of  Cumberland,  do  immediately  furnish  seventy-five  men  from 
each  of  the  said  counties,  according  to  law,  and  send  them  forthwith  to  Fort; 
Pitt" 


Appendix  G.  257 

respecting  it,  and  some  kind  of  rule  on  that  head.  We  are 
sensible  of  the  difficulties  attending  this  business,  and  the  ab- 
solute necessity  of  the  utmost  expedition  being  used,  and 
therefore  authorize  you  to  appoint  such  persons  to  procure  the 
provisions,  pack-horses,  and  stores,  as  you  may  judge  most 
capable  of  the  extraordinary  exertion  which  in  this  case  is 
required.  This  the  council  think  the  importance  of  the  ob- 
ject and  their  confidence  in  your  prudence  and  integrity  will 
justify;  and,  in  order  to  give  you  the  fairest  opportunity  the 
nature  of  the  case  will  admit  of,  we  transmit  to  you  by  Mr. 
[John]  Carnahan  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds.1  The  state 
engages  to  pay  the  expense  in  the  'first  instance,  and  for  this 
purpose  will  forward  the  money  to  you  from  time  to  time  as 
they  perceive  it  will  be  necessary;  but  the  council  hope  it  will 
not  exceed  the  estimate  now  sent  to  you.2 

Whoever  shall  be  appointed  by  you  for  these  purposes  will 
be  required  to  procure  clear  vouchers  of  their  expenditures 
and  to  make  clear  distinctions  between  the  rations  issued  to 
the  continental  troops  and  those  issued  to  the  militia;  and  so 
of  all  other  expenditures.  I  wish  you  success  in  the  arduous 
task  before  you. 

XVIII. —  Moore  to  Irvine. 

In  Council,  Philadelphia,  October  5,  1782. 
Sir: — The  council  sent  you  by  Mr.  Carnahan,  the  sum  of 
fifteen  hundred  pounds,  for  the  purpose  of  forwarding   the 
expedition  into  the  Indian   country.     This  expedition  being 

1  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  executive 
council  of  Pennsylvania,  of  September  18,  1782: 

"  An  order  was  drawn  on  the  treasurer  in  favor  of  John  Carnahan,  Esquire, 
for  fifteen  hundred  pounds  specie,  to  be  paid  by  him  to  Brigadier  General 
Irvine  at  Fort  Pitt,  for  providing  provisions,  pack-horses,  stores,  etc.,  for  the 
expedition  carrying  on  against  Sandusky  towns." 

2 This  was  the  estimate  sent  Irvine:  "Expense  of  an  expedition  to  San- 
dusky — 1,200  men  for  30  days: 

"36,000  rations,  at  10d.,  £1,500;  180  horses,  at  3s,  £1,080;  160  sacks  at  10s., 
£80;  20  drivers,  30  days,  at  3s.  9d.,  £112;  2  horse  masters,  at  7s.  6d.,  £30; 
13  kegs,  £3." 
17 


858  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

now  laid  aside,1  3*011  will  please  to  pay  the  money  to  the  order 
of  Robert  Morris,  Esq.,  superintendent  of  finance,  who  en- 
gages to  account  for  it  here,  agreeable  to  the  order  of  general 
assembly  appropriating  the  whole  sum  of  which  this  is  a  part. 
You  will  also  please  to  give  council  the  earliest  account  of  the 
payment  of  the  superintendent's  drafts,  in  order  that  the 
money  may  be  charged  to  him,  and  the  whole  business  imme- 
diately be  closed. 

XIX. —  Irviue  to  Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  October  8,  1782. 

Sir: — lam  honored  with  your  excellency's  two  letters  of 
the  4th  and  18th  of  September;  the  last,  by  Mr.  Carnahan 
with  the  money,  did  not  arrive  here  till  the  5th  instant.  This 
delay  and  the  detachment  of  Gen.  Hazen's  regiment  not  coming 
at  the  time  proposed  will  unavoidably  prevent  my  moving  so 
soon  as  was  intended.  I  have  sent  an  officer  express2  to  meet 
and  hasten  General  Hazen's  men,  and  though  I  am  not  cer- 
tain what  day  they  can  arrive,  take  for  granted,  if  at  all,  they 
will  be  here  before  the  20th;  and,  as  the  business  would  be 
impracticable  later,  have  fixed  on  that  day  to  march  from  Fort 
Mcintosh,  a  post  thirty  miles  advanced  of  this  place. 

Sixty  rangers  are  counted  to  me  as  part  of  the  men  for  the 
expedition.  These  I  am  not  yet  informed  where  they  are  to 
come  from.  Three  hundred  militia  ordered  by  congress  from 
below  the  mountain  are  also  counted.     These  are  not  only  so 

1  On  the  28th  of  September,  178*2,  the  [supreme  executive]  council  received 
a  letter  from  Washington,  dated  23d  of  that  month,  expressing  his  opinion 
that  the  expeditions  into  the  Indian  country  should  be  declined  —  the  council 
thereupon  ordered  that  they  should  be  given  up;  also, 

"  Ordered,  That  the  lieutenants  of  .  .  .  Westmoreland  and  Washington 
counties  call  out  no  more  militia  after  the  expiration  of  the  time  of  those  now 
in  service;  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  having  received  intelligence 
that  tli"  British  have  called  in  all  the  savages,  and  that  no  more  parties  are  to 
be  permitted  to  be  sent  out  against  the  frontiers."  (As  to  the  savages  having 
been  called  in,  see  pp.  128,  note;  135,  note  2;  and  184.) 

'-'  ( Ine  of  the  officers  constituting  this  "officer  express  "  was  John  Rose.  (See 
•Appendix  J,—  Marehel  to  Irvine,  October  21,  1782;  also,  Appendix  K, —  Irvine 
to  Cook,  October  10,  1782.) 


Appendix  G.  %59 

far  short  of  the  number,  but  so  few  of  them  are  fit,  or  in  any 
manner  clothed  or  equipped  for  such  service,  that  most  of 
them  would  be  a  dead  weight  or  incumbrance;  add  to  this, 
their  term  of  service  is  nearly  expired.  I  must  therefore  de- 
pend solely  on  the  few  regulars  and  what  volunteers  can  be 
raised  on  this  side  the  mountain.  If  about  six  hundred 
actually  assemble,  I  am  determined  to  make  the  attempt,  par- 
ticularly as  I  have  some  reason  to  hope  General  Clark  will  co- 
operate with  us,^f  this  last  delay  does  not  prevent  it;  as  I  had 
concerted  measures  with  him  that  he  should  attack  the  Shaw- 
anese  at  the  same  time  I  did  Sandusky.  One  of  the  expresses 
to  him  was  wounded  on  his  way  down  the  river  and  narrowly 
escaped  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands.  I  have  sent  another 
to  him  since  that  time,  and  a  third  since  I  received  your  last 
dispatches,  in  order  to  halt  him  a  few  days  till  I  could  get  ready. 
The  estimate  will  be  found  in  general  too  low,  and  several 
things  omitted  which  cannot  be  dispensed  with.  The  calcu- 
lation for  a  horse  to  carry  two  hundred  [weight]  is  too  high;1 
however,  you  may  depend  I  will  spare  no  pains  to  have  the 
business  done  on  the  lowest  terms.  I  have  appointed  Mr. 
John  Irwin,  of  Pittsburgh,  the  principal  agent.  If  you  should 
think  proper  to  send  any  money  in  my  absence,  you  will  be  so 
good  as  to  address  it  to  him  subject  to  my  orders.  It  would 
not  be  possible  to  procure  the  supplies  in  so  a  short  time  on  any 
other  plan  than  to  purchase  provisions  from  the  volunteers 
which  they  had  collected  for  their  own  use  on  the  original 
plan  of  carrying  the  expedition.  I  mean,  therefore,  to  order 
the  whole  to  the  place  of  general  rendezvous;  there  have  the 
whole  appraised,  and  pay  for  it  in  bulk.  Though  some  una- 
voidable waste  will  take  place,  yet  I  hope,  on  the  whole,  it  will 
come  within  the  price  the  rations  are  estimated  at.  The 
greatest  difficulty  with  me  is  the  uncertainty  of  the  quantity, 
which  cannot  be  ascertained  till  the  whole  is  collected,  but 
there  is  no  alternative.2 

1  In  the  estimate  sent  Irvine  the  number  of  horses  is  put  down  at  180, 
and  the  rations  (pounds)  at  36,000,  making  200  for  each  animal.  (Ante,  p.  257, 
note  2.) 

s  Two  letters  known  to  have  been  written  by  Irvine  to  Moore  (or  Dickinson) 


QGO  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XX. —  Irvine  to    Dickinson.1 

Fort  Pitt,  January  1,  1783. 

Sir: — Inclosed  I  transmit  to  your  excellency  an  account  of 
a  sum  of  money  delivered  to  me  by  Colonel  Carnahan  and  in- 
tended toward  defraying  the  expenses  of  an  expedition  against 
the  Indian  settlements  on  Sandusky.  You  will  easily  con- 
vince 3'ourself  that,  notwithstanding  every  preparation  being 
adequate  to  the  exertions  necessary,  and  notwithstanding  the 
delay  of  the  orders  countermanding  my  march,  the  expenses 
incurred  are  inconsiderable.  I  am  in  hopes  even  of  putting 
off  the  kegs  at  no  disadvantage. 

A  balance  of  the  money  sent  me  for  the  purpose  of  recruit- 
ing the  Pennsylvania  line  remains  in  my  hands.  I  expect 
your  excellency's  orders  in  what  manner  to  dispose  of  it.  The 
different  trials  have  all  proved  unsuccessful,  not  only  in  the 
number  of  recruits,  but  with  respect  to  the  objects  them- 
selves. 


XXI. —  Irvine  to  Dickinson. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  3,  1783. 

Sir: — My  anxiety  to  arm  council  against  insidious  men, 
to  see  infamous  combinations  against  the  interest  of  the  state 
checked,  jealousies  between  the  civil  and  military  subside, 
peace  and  harmony  restored  among  all  ranks, —  will,  I  flatter 
myself,  be  an  apology  for  this  intrusion. 

I  am  informed  that  companies  are  formed  and  plans  laid  in 
Philadelphia  and  other  places  for  purchasing  on  their  own 

dated  respectively  27th  and  29th  of  October,  1782,  have  not  been  found.  A 
brief  outline  of  them,  however,  has  been  preserved.  That  of  the  27th  referred 
to  the  fact  that  additional  expenses  had  been  incurred  for  the  defense  of  the 
frontiers.  The  one  dated  the  29th  spoke  of  people  settling  beyond  the  Ohio 
north,  within  the  boundaries  of  Pennsylvania;  mentioning  also,  it  seems,  the 
fact  of  their  intention  to  divide  the  state  and  form  a  new  one. 

1  On  the  7th  of  November,  1782,  John  Dickinson  was  elected  president  of  the 
supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania  (becoming  thereby  the  governor  in 
fact  and  in  law  of  the  state)  in  place  of  Moore,  whose  term  of  office  had 
expired. 


Appendix  G.  201 

terms,  large  tracts  of  the  prime  lands  which  are  appropriated 
by  law  for  the  redemption  of  officers'  and  soldiers' certificates. 

From  anything  I  can  learn,  it  will  require  great  vigilance 
and  a  decisive  line  of  conduct  in  the  executive  authority  to 
prevent  baneful  effects,  particularly  as  I  have  reason  to  believe 
those  companies  intend  connecting  themselves  witli  the  sur- 
veyors; and  I  am  certain  the  military  will  keep  a  watchful  eye 
on  the  whole  of  this  transaction.  If,  therefore,  the  surveyors 
should  by  any  finesse  mistake  or  otherwise  break  over  the 
bounds  prescribed  by  law,  troublesome  turbulencies  may  ensue. 

A  mode  occurs  to  me  which  I  think  will  avoid  the  latter, 
namely:  for  council  to  order  the  whole  tract  laid  off  as 
bounded  by  law,  previous  to  a  single  survey  being  made  (ex- 
cept the  reserved  tracts),  and  this  not  to  be  done  by  any  sur- 
veyors who  are  or  may  be  appointed  to  districts  within  the 
tract;  at  least,  without  being  joined  by  some  person  under  the 
immediate  order  of  council,  who  may  perhaps  judge  it  ex- 
pedient to  appoint  some  military  officer  for  this  purpose. 
There  are  sundry  young  gentlemen  of  the  line  well  qualified 
for  such  business. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  the  tracts  reserved  for  the  state  at  Forts 
Pitt  and  Mcintosh  should  be  laid  off  and  some  person 
appointed  to  take  care  of  them,  particularly  at  Fort  Pitt, 
previous  to  the  troops  at  this  post  being  discharged;  other- 
wise, the  timber  will  be  destroyed  and  land  abused.  I  presume 
some  person  may  be  got  to  take  charge  of  it  for  such  privileges 
as  will  not  injure  the  place  —  but  from  an  indirect  informa- 
tion only. 

I  have  been  led  insensibly  to  advise  [these  measures]  which 
I  hope  you  will  attribute  not  to  arrogance  but  to  zeal.1 

1  Irvine  had,  for  a  considerable  period,  zealously  guarded  the  country  be- 
yond the  Ohio  and  Alleghany,  within  the  bounds  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
intrusive  settlers,  as  the  following  order  shows: 

"  Order,  Fort  Pitt,  February  25,  1783. 

"  Any  person  who  shall  presume  to  ferry  either  men  or  women  over  the 
Ohio  or  Alleghany  rivers  or  shall  be  found  crossing  over  into  what  is  generally 
called  the  Indian  country  between  the  Kittanning  and  Fort  Mcintosh  without 
a  written  permit  from  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Pitt,  or  orders  for  that, 
purpose  —  until  further  orders  shall  be  treated  and  prosecuted  for  holding  or 


QG2  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXII. —  Dickinson  to  Ikvine. 

In  Council,  July  3,  1783. 

Sir: — "We  are  obliged  to  you  for  the  communication  in 
jour  letter  of  the  3d  last;  and  have  given  such  instructions 
to  the  surveyor  general  as  we  hope  will  be  of  use  in  prevent- 
ing the  mischief  apprehended.1 

"We  should  also  be  glad  if  you  would  procure  due  care  to  be 
taken  of  the  two  tracts  appropriated  to  the  state,  and  prevent 
the  timber  from  being  destroyed.2 

aiding  others  to  correspond  with  and  give  intelligence  to,  the  enemy.  This 
order  to  be  in  force  until  civil  government  thinks  proper  to  direct  otherwise.'" 

The  country  noi'th  and  west  of  the  Ohio  and  Alleghany  rivers,  to  the  west- 
ern line  of  the  state,  as  afterward  determined,  was  claimed  and  occupied  by 
different  tribes  of  Indians,  whose  title  thereto  was  extinguished  by  deed  to  the 
state  from  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  for  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars, 
at  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  (now  Rome),  New  York,  Oclober  23,  1784;  and 
by  deed  from  the  chiefs  of  the  Wyandots  and  Delawares,  for  the  sum  of  three 
thousand  dollars  at  a  treaty  held  at  Fort  Mcintosh  (now  Beaver,  Pennsyl- 
vania), January  21,  1785. 

1  The  general  assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  by  their  resolve  of  March  7,  1780, 
promised  certain  donations  of  land  to  be  laid  off  to  their  officers  and  soldiers 
at  the  end  of  the  war;  and  after  that,  by  a  particular  law,  appropriated  the 
lands  belonging  to  that  state,  which  lay  westward  of  the  Alleghany  and  Ohio 
rivers,  for  that  purpose  and  for  the  object  of  redeeming  certificates  of  depre- 
ciation. The  letter  of  Irvine  of  June  3  (not  found),  undoubtedly  gave  in- 
formation of  trespassers  settling  upon  these  lands.  The  governor,  by  a 
proclamation  dated  July  31,  1783,  warned  all  persons  from  locating  thereon. 

■  Instructions  for  H.  Lee  and  John  McClure  from  Brig.  Gen'l  Irvine: 

"  You  are  to  take  immediate  charge  of  the  fort,  buildings  and  public  prop- 
erty now  remaining  at  the  post  of  Mcintosh  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania  (except  two  pieces  of  iron  cannon  and  some  water  casks,  the 
property  of  the  United  States)  and  three  thousand  acres  of  land  reserved  for 
the  use  of  said  state.  When  the  tract  is  surveyed  you  will  attend  and  make 
yourselves  acquainted  with  the  lines;  in  the  meantime  you  will  consider  it  ex- 
tending two  miles  up  and  down  the  river,  and  two  miles  back.  You  will  take 
care  that  no  waste  is  committed,  or  timber  cut  down  or  carried  off  the  prem- 
ises, and  prohibit  buildings  to  be  made  or  any  persons  making  settlements  or 
de  thereon,  or  from  even  hunting  encampments;  nor  are  any  more  fain- 
iliee  to  be  permitted  than  your  own  to  live  in  the  barracks  or  any  part  of  the 
tract.  Incase  of  necessity  for  re-occupying  the  post  for  the  United  States, 
you  are  to  give  up  the  fort  to  the  orders  of  the  commanding  continental 
officer  at  this  place,  retaining  only  such  part  of  the  buildings  as  may  be  neces- 


Appendix  G.  263 

We  wish  to  do  everything  we  can  for  the  benefit  of  the 
state  and  for  rendering  justice  to  the  officers  and  soldiers,  and 
therefore  should  certainly  appoint  some  military  gentlemen  to 
act  in  conjunction  with  the  surveyor,  if  we  had  the  power. 

sary  for  you  to  live  in.  But  if  the  troops  should  be  so  numerous  as  not  to 
afford  room  for  you,  you  will,  in  that  case,  occupy  the  buildings  without  the 
works  or  build  for  yourselves  on  some  convenient  place.  But  you  will  on  no 
account  whatever  quit  the  place  without  orders  from  the  executive  councd  of 
Pennsylvania  or  their  agent,  so  to  do,  whose  directions  you  will  hereafter  obey 
in  all  matters  relative  to  said  post  and  tract  of  land.  In  case  of  lawless  vio- 
lence, or  persons  attempting  to  settle  by  force,  or  presuming  to  destroy  any- 
thing on  the  premises,  you  will  apply  to  Michael  Huffnagle,  Esquire,  or  some 
other  justice  of  the  peace  for  Westmoreland  county. 

"For  your  care  and  trouble  in  performing  the  several  matters  herein  re- 
quired, you  may  put  in  grain  and  labor  any  quantity  of  ground  not  exceeding 
one  hundred  acres,  and  keep  or  raise  stock  to  the  number  of  fifty  head  of 
horned  cattle  and  eight  horses.  You  will  govern  yourselves  by  these  instruc- 
tions until  the  pleasure  of  the  honorable  council  is  signified  to  you;  and  you 
will  give  up  peaceable  possession  to  them  or  their  order  whenever  they  think 
proper.     Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  September  23,  1783. 

"  Wm.  Irvine.  B.  Gen'l. 

"We  severally  engage  to  conform  to  the  foregoing  instructions  to  us  by 

General  Irvine.  H.  Lee. 

"Jno.  McClure. 
"  Witness,  Jo;hn  Rose." 

Instructions  from  Brigadier  General  Irvine  to  James  Boggs : 

"  Fort  Pitt,  September  30,  1783. 

"  You  are  to  take  charge  of  the  tract  of  land  opposite  Fort  Pitt  reserved 
for  the  use  of  Pennsylvania,  and  not  suffer  any  waste  or  destruction  to  be 
done  of  timber,  or  cut  or  carried  off  the  premises  except  what  is  herein  men- 
tioned. You  will  on  no  account  allow  roads  to  be  made  through  the  tract,  or 
landing  places  other  than  the  old  one  formerly  used  by  Indian  traders  and 
lately  by  the  garrison.  You  will  cautiously  avoid  giving  offense  to  the  com- 
mandant at  this  post;  and  if  any  trespasses  are  committed  or  violence  used 
you  will  lodge  regular  complaint  to  Michael  Huffnagle,  Esq.,  or  some  other 
justice  of  the  peace  for  Westmoreland  county. 

"You  are,  for  your  trouble  and  care,  allowed  to  clear  land  and  raise  crops 
so  as  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  acres  and  you  may  keep  stock  not  to  exceed 
twenty  horned  cattle  and  six  horses.  You  are  not  to  permit  any  buildings 
whatsoever  to  be  erected,  except  for  the  use  and  convenience  of  your  own  fam- 
ilies. You  may,  however,  allow  the  troops  of  this  garrison  to  cut  and  carry 
off  firewood,  if  the  commanding  officer  finds  it  expedient  to  take  from  them, 
but  you  must  keep  and  render  an  account  to  council  of  the  quantity  so  taken. 
You  will  also  hereafter  govern  yourselves  by  such  orders  or  instruction's  as 
you  may  receive  from  his  excellency  the  president  of  the  state;  and  you  will 


ZGJf.  W'sJtington-Irvine   Correspondence. 

The  measure  would  in  all  probability  be  advantageous;  and 
we  should  be  pleased  if  your  prudence  would  avail  itself  of 
your  situation   to  secure  the  Pennsylvania  line  against  the 

render  peaceable  possession  when  required  by  him  or  the  lawful  agent  of  the 
honorable  the  council,  or  take  such  lease  as  they  shall  think  proper. 

"  Wm.  Irvine. 

"I  engage  to  act  conformably  to  the  aoove  instructions  from  General 
Irvine.  James  Boggs. 

"  Witness,  David  Duncan. 

"N.  B. —  Until  the  tract  is  surveyed,  it  is  considered  to  extend  two  miles 
down  the  Ohio  river  and  two  miles  up  the  Alleghany  and  two  miles  back." 

The  "  tract,"  it  seems,  was  in  a  state  of  nature,  not  very  inviting,  if  we  are 
to  judge  of  it  from  its  appearance  subsequent  to  this  date,  as  depicted  by  the 
surveyor  of  it  in  a  letter  to  the  governor  and  council  of  Pennsylvania,  from 
Washington,  that  state,  written  February  19,  1788.     The  writer  says: 

"This  country  has  never  experienced  a  winter  more  severe.  The  mercury 
has  been  at  this  place  12  degrees  below  the  extreme  cold  point.  At  Muskin- 
gum 20,  and  at  Pittsburgh,  within  the  bulb  or  bottle.  The  difference  may  in 
part  be  accounted  for  by  the  inland  situation  of  this  place,  and  greater  or 
lesser  quantities  of  ice  at  the  others.  It  has  been  altogether  impossible  for 
me,  until  within  these  few  days  past,  to  stir  from  the  fireside. 

"  On  Thursday  last,  I  went  with  several  other  gentlemen  to  fix  on  the  spot 
for  laying  out  the  town  opposite  Pittsburgh,  and  at  the  same  time  took  a  general 
view  of  the  tract  and  find  it  far  inferior  to  my  expectations,  although  I  had 
been  no  stranger  to  it.  There  is  some  pretty  low  ground  on  the  River  Ohio 
and  Alleghany,  but  there  is  but  a  small  proportion  of  dry  land,  which  ap- 
pears anyway  valuable,  either  for  timber  or  soil;  but  especially  for  soil. 
It  abounds  with  high  hills,  and  deep  hollows,  almost  inaccessible  to  a  surveyor. 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  if  the  inhabitants  of  the  moon  are  capable  of  re- 
ceiving the  same  advantage  from  the  earth  which  we  do  from  their  world  —  I 
say,  if  it  be  so  —  this  same  famed  tract  of  land  would  afford  a  variety  of  beau- 
tiful lunar  spots,  not  unworthy  of  the  eye  of  a  philosopher. 

"  I  cannot  think  that  ten  acre  lots,  on  such  pitts  and  hills,  will  possibly 
meet  with  purchasers  unless,  like  a  pig  in  a  poke,  it  be  kept  out  of  view. 
Would  it  not  be  more  of  advantage  to  the  state  if  the  legislature  would  alter 
the  law  that  a  town  and  a  reasonable  number  of  outlots,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  town,  be  laid  out,  the  remainder  of  the  land  to  be  laid  out 
in  200  acre  lots  —  fronting  the  river  when  practicable  —  and  extending  back  so 
as  to  include  the  hilly  and  uneven  ground  which  might  be  of  some  use  to  a 
farm;  I  cannot  but  believe  that  Colonel  Irwin  and  Colonel  [Alexander] 
Lowrey,  both  members  of  the  assembly,  and  who  know  the  land  well,  will, 
on  consideration,  be  of  the  opinion  with  me,  that  small  lots  on  sides  of  those 
hills,  can  never  be  of  any  use  but  as  above  mentioned.  Perhaps  council  may 
think  proper  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  legislature.  I  shall  go  on  to  do  the 
business  as  soon  as  the  weather  will  admit;   and,  before  I  shall  have  pro- 


Appendix  G.  QG5 

schemes  of  those  projectors  who  prefer  their  own  gain  to  more 
generous  considerations. 

ceeded  farther  than  may  accord  with  the  plan  here  proposed,  I  may  have 
the  necessary  information  whether  to  go  on  as  the  law  now  directs  or  not. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  excellency's  and  the  Hon.  council's  most 
obedient  servant,  David  Redick." 


APPENDIX  H. 


CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    BENJ.    HARRISON,    GOVERNOR    OF 

VIRGINIA. 


I. —  Irvine  to  Harrison. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  20,  1782. 

Sir:  —  In  obedience  to  the  ordinance  of  congress  of  the 
24th  of  September  last,  and  also  the  commander-in-chief's  in- 
structions, for  making  arrangements  with  the  continental  troops 
under  my  command,  combined  with  the  militia  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Laurel  Hill,  in  the  states  of  Virginia  and  Penn- 
sylvania, I  wrote  the  lieutenants  of  Monongalia  and  Ohio 
counties1  to  attend  a  general  meeting  at  this  post  the  5th 
instant,  of  the  lieutenants  and  field  officers  whose  opinions  I 
wanted  respecting  the  mode  of  defense,  the  number  of  men 
necessary,  and  several  other  matters.  Colonel  [David]  Shep- 
herd [lieutenant  of  Ohio  county,  Virginia]  attended  and  in- 
formed me  he  had  nothing  in  his  power  —  most  of  the  men  in 
his  district  being  now  enrolled  in  Pennsylvania.  Colonel 
[John]  Evans  [lieutenant  of  Monongalia  county,  Virginia]  did 
not  attend,  but  wrote  me  that  the  number  of  effective  men  in 
his  district  did  not  exceed  300;  that  they  were  so  scattered  as 
to  form  a  frontier  of  eighty  miles;  and  begged  of  me  in  the 
most  earnest  manner  to  assist  him  with  men,  arms,  ammuni- 
tion, etc. 

The  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  are  so  connected 
that  very  few  more  men  would  guard  both  than  each  will  re- 
quire if  they  act  separately.  Tor  this  reason,  I  wanted  a  junc- 
tion of  the  whole  and  intended  to  detach  as  circumstances 
should  require.  As  at  present  I  cannot  expect  any  from  Vir- 
ginia I  am  making  such  arrangements  as  that  part  of  the 
Pennsylvania  militia  will  cover  some  of  Virginia;  but  this 
mode    1    fear  will   not  long  be  complied  with  on  the  part  of 

Appendix  M, —  Irvine  to  John  Evans,  March  28,  1782. 


Appendix  II.  867 

Pennsylvania,  as  they  will  think  hard  to  be  obliged  to  guard 
Virginians.  The  Virginians  on  the  other  hand  complain  that 
they  have  not  an  equal  share  of  protection  and  expect  that  I 
will  cover  them  with  continental  troops.  I  need  not  enumer- 
ate to  your  excellency  many  reasons  which  put  this  entirely 
out  of  my  power.  The  council  of  Pennsylvania  have  directed 
their  civil  officers  to  order  out,  agreeable  to  law,  such  numbers 
of  militia  from  time  to  time  as  I  may  think  proper  to  demand. 
The  Virginia  civil  officers  on  this  side  the  Hill  say  they  have 
no  such  instructions  from  your  excellency,  consequently  I  can- 
not draw  them  out  except  as  volunteers,  who  rarely  render 
much  service.  I  flatter  myself  you  will  excuse  this  trouble 
when  I  assure  your  excellency  that  as  well  from  inclination  as 
duty,  I  wish  to  give  assistance  and  support  to  the  inhabitants 
of  both  states  in  proportion  to  the  support  I  receive  from  civil 
authority;  and  that  as  a  continental  officer  I  have  no  local 
attachment. 

Here  I  will  take  the  liberty  to  observe  as  matter  of  opinion 
that  unless  measures  are  taken  very  soon  to  run  the  boundary 
line  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  and  a  regular  admin- 
istration of  civil  government  takes  place  in  both  states,  every- 
thing will  be  in  utter  confusion.  New  governments  are  much 
talked  of  being  set  up.  I  am  told  this  scheme  is  carried  so 
far  that  a  day  is  appointed  (by  advertisement)  to  meet  for  the 
purpose  of  emigrating  to  establish  a  new  government.*  I  am 
instructed  by  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  that  he 
would  give  direction  for  a  proportion  of  recruits  of  the  Vir- 
ginia line  being  sent  to  this  district;  but  as  Colonel  Gibson 
will  write  your  excellency  on  this  subject,  I  need  not  trouble 
you. 

This  will  be  handed  to  your  excellency  by  Lieutenant 
Thomas,  who  is  an  intelligent  gentleman  and  can  give  you 
every  necessary  information  respecting  the  affairs  of  this 
country. 


*  A  certain  Mr.  J ,  who,  'tis  said,  is  not  long  from 

England,  is  at  the  head  of  the  emigrating  party,  and  some  say 
has  actually  a  form  of  a  constitution  for  the  new  government 
ready  written. 


!CS  Washington-Irvme  Correspondence. 


II. —  Harrison  to  Irvine. 

In  Council  [Va.],  May  22,  1782. 

Sir:  —  Your  favor  of  the  20th  ult.,  by  Lieutenant  Thomas, 
came  safe  to  hand.  Orders  have  been  long  since  sent  hence 
to  the  counties  of  Augusta  and  Hampshire  to  send  to  Monon- 
galia seventy  men  to  assist  in  guarding  the  frontiers  of  that 
county.  These  troops  I  expect  will  probably  be  stationed  at  or 
near  Tygart's  Valley  and  the  "West  Fork.  As  these  posts  are  at 
too  great  a  distance  from  you,  I  suppose  it  would  be  improper 
to  remove  the  men  from  them,  though  I  perfectly  agree  in  opin- 
ion with  you  that  it  would  be  generally  better  to  place  the 
whole  defense  of  that  country  under  one  commander;  for 
which  reasons  orders  are  now  sent  to  the  commanding  officers 
of  Monongalia  and  Ohio  [counties],  to  furnish  so  many  men 
as  they  can  spare  to  assist  you;1  though  there  is  one  great  ob- 
struction to  your  plan,  which  is,  that  as  our  law  now  stands 
the  militia  of  this  state  cannot  be  removed  out  of  it.  The 
assembly  may  probably  make  some  alteration  in  the  law;  if 
they  do,  I  shall  advise  you  of  it. 

Measures  are  taking  for  running  the  boundary  line  between 
the  two  states,  and  I  expect  commissioners  will  meet  for  that 
purpose  at  the  extremity  of  the  Maryland  line  on  the  10th 
day  of  July  next,  which  I  hope  will  quiet  the  people  and  rec- 
oncile them  to  the  present  governments.2 

1  See  Appendix  M, —  John  Evans  to  Irvine,  June  30,  1782. 

2  Concerning  this  paragraph,  Gen.  Irvine  in  a  letter  to  Alexander  McCIean, 
of  Uniontown,  Pa.,  afterward  wrote: 

"  '  Measures  are  taking  for  running  the  boundary  line  between  the  two 
states  and  I  expect  commissioners  will  meet  for  that  purpose  at  the  extremity 
of  the  Maryland  line  on  the  10th  day  of  July  next,  which  I  hope  will  quiet 
the  people  and  reconcile  them  to  the  present  governments.  '" 

"The  above  is  extracted  from  Governor  Harrison's  letter  to  me,  dated  22d 
May,  1782;  but  whether  he  made  a  mistake  in  the  date,  and  intended  June, 
but  made  it  July,  or  whether  there  has  been  a  mistake  originally  in  the  time 
proposed  for  meeting,  I  know  not." 


Appendix  II.  269 


III. —  Harrison  to  Irvine. 

Virginia  Council  Chamber,  August  21,  1782. 

Sir: —  On  a  requisition  from  congress  to  assist  you  with 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  I  have  ordered  seventy-five  from 
each  of  the  counties  of  Frederick  and  Berkeley  to  join  you  at 
Fort  Pitt.  I  expect  they  will  obey  the  order  with  cheerful- 
ness, but  if  they  do  not  and  should  halt  at  the  boundary  line, 
I  have  no  power  to  compel  them  to  go  over  it.  I  therefore 
recommend  it  to  your  consideration  whether  it  would  not  be 
better  to  employ  them  in  this  country  (where  I  think  they 
may  be  usefully  stationed  to  prevent  the  incursions  of  the  In- 
dians) than  to  order  them  into  Pennsylvania,  at  the  hazard  of 
being  disobeyed. 

I  have  been  exceedingly  alarmed  by  a  letter  from  the  conti- 
nental secretary  of  war,  received  yesterday  by  express,  in- 
forming me  of  an  intended  attack  on  your  fort,  and  the  danger 
he  thought  it  was  in  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy; 
as  such  an  event  would  be  attended  with  the  most  distressing 
circumstances  as  well  to  the  frontier  inhabitants  of  this  state 
as  of  Pennsylvania,  I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  take  such 
steps  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  relief  of  the  fort  in  case  it 
should  be  invested,  and  have  therefore  issued  orders  to  the 
•several  counties  most  convenient  to  hold  seventeen  hundred 
men  in  constant  readiness  to  march  at  the  shortest  notice  for 
that  service,  and  have  appointed  General  Edward  Stevens  l  to 
the  command  of  them,  to  whom  you  will  please  to  give  notice 
if  your  apprehensions  of  being  invested  should  continue.2 

1  See  Appendix  M, —  Stevens  to  Irvine,  August  25,  1782. 

2  Extract  from  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  5  Sept.,  1782  (No.  933): 
"Richmond  (Virginia),  August  24.     Certain  accounts  are    .    .    .     received 

of  an  expedition  being  intended  against  Fort  Pitt  by  the  British  and  their 
Indian  allies.  From  the  vigorous  measures  adopted  by  this  state  and  Penn- 
sylvania, we  have  reason  to  hope  their  designs  will  be  effectually  counteracted, 
and  at  the  same  time  will  convince  the  public  of  their  real  views  in  holding 
out  the  idea  of  peace." 


270  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


IT. —  Irvine  to  Harrison. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  3,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  am  honored  with  your  excellency's  letter  of  the  21st 
of  August.  About  the  middle  of  July,  appearances  threatened 
an  investiture  of  this  place  or  a  total  destruction  of  the  settle- 
ments on  this  side  of  the  mountains.  Ilanna's,  a  county  town, 
was  attacked  and  burnt,  about  twenty  were  killed  and  taken 
there  and  in  the  vicinity.  Wheeling  was,  at  the  same  time, 
in  some  degree  blockaded;  a  large  body  of  Indians  kept  skulk- 
ing about  it  for  five  or  six  days.  In  short  they  appeared  in  all 
quarters,  and  the  alarm  and  consternation  of  the  inhabitants 
were  as  great  as  can  be  conceived.1 

Since  the  beginning  of  August  all  has  been  perfectly  quiet. 
I  have  not  heard  of  a  single  person  being  killed,  nor  scarce  of 
an  Indian  being  seen.     I  am  not  apprised  of  any  late  infor- 

1  Extracts  from  newspapers  of  1782,  relative  to  the  attack  on  Hannastown: 

[I-] 
"  Philadelphia,  July  30.  From  Westmoreland  county,  16  July.  On  the  13th 
a  body  of  Indians  came  to  and  burnt  Hannastown,  except  two  houses. 
The  inhabitants  having  received  notice  of  their  coming,  by  their  attacking 
6ome  reapers  who  were  at  work  near  the  town,  fortunately  (except  15  who 
were  killed  and  taken)  got  into  the  fort,  where  they  were  secure." — Penn- 
sylvania Packet,  30  July,  1782  (No.  917). 

[II.] 

"  Richmond,  Aug.  17.  By  our  last  accounts  from  the  northwestern  frontier 
we  learn  that  the  Indians  have  lately  destroyed  Hannastown  and  another 
small  village  on  the  Pennsylvania  side,  and  killed  and  captured  the  whole  of. 
the  inhabitants."—  Pennsylvania  Packet,  27  Aug..  1782  [No.  929J. 

[III.] 
"  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Fort  Pitt,  dated  Sept.  3:  '  From  the  middle  to 
the  last  of  July,  the  Indians  have  been  very  troublesome  on  the  frontiers  of 
this  country  —  Hannastown  was  burned,  several  inhabitants  killed  and  taken, 
and  about  the  same  time  Fort  Wheeling  [Henry]  was  blockaded  for  several 
days;  for  two  weeks  the  inhabitants  were  in  such  consternation,  that  a  total 
evacuation  of  the  country  was  to  be  dreaded  [feared];  but  since  the  beginning 
of  August  matters  have  been  more  quiet,  and  the  people  have  again,  in  a 
great  degree,  got  over  their  panic.'" — Pennsylvania  Packet,  1  Oct.,  1782 
[No.  944];  Salem  Gazette,  Oct.  17,  1782. 


Appendix  U.  271 

mation  respecting  the  designs  of  the  enemy  against  this  place, 
except  what  your  excellency's  letter  contains,  and  I  am  entirely 
at  a  loss  to  know  whether  the  secretary  at  war  grounds  his 
fears  on  the  alarming  accounts  received  from  here  or  on  intel- 
ligence received  from  another  quarter.  If  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  militia  come  on  from  Berkeley  and  Frederick,  I  will 
employ  them  as  you  advise  (on  the  frontiers  of  their  own 
state).  But  from  the  present  calm  state  things  are  in,  I  would 
almost  wish  they  would  not  come,  particularly  on  account  of 
feeding  them,  which  is  almost  impossible.  As  congress  have 
demanded  them,  and  may  be  possessed  of  information  un- 
known to  me,  I  dare  not  positively  countermand  their  march, 
but  really  their  coming  will  embarrass  me  much. 

I  have  been  some  time  meditating  and  preparing  for  an  ex- 
cursion into  the  Indian  country,  which,  if  accomplished,  will, 
I  hope,  nearly  put  an  end  to  the  Indian  war  in  this  quarter. 
My  troops  on  this  occasion  are  chiefly  to  be  volunteer  militia 
of  the  country,  who  propose  not  only  to  equip  and  feed  them- 
selves but  also  to  provide  provision  for  such  continental  troops 
as  I  shall  be  able  to  take  from  the  post.  I  am  more  sanguine 
in  this  business,  having  last  night  received  an  express  from 
General  Clark  in  order  to  concert  measures  for  a  descent  from 
his  quarter  at  the  same  time.1 

1  Extract  from  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  Oct.  1,  1782  (No.  944): 
"Richmond  (Virginia),  September  21.     Late  accounts  from  the  north- 
western settlements  contradict  the  report  formerly  published  of  an  action  be- 
tween our  people  and  the  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  Wheeling. 

"  We  hear  an  expedition  is  intended  against  the  Indian  towns  on  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie,  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Pitt  having  been 
extremely  irritated  with  the  injuries  received  from  those  savages." 


APPENDIX  I. 


WILLIAM  DAYIES,  VIRGINIA  SECRETARY  AT  WAR,  TO  IRVINE. 


Wab  Office,  Virginia,  April  12,  1782. 
Sir: — The  incursions  of  the  Indians  into  the  county  of 
Monongalia1  and  the  number  of  the  inhabitants  they  have 
killed,  have  induced  government  to  order  a  company  from 
Hampshire  to  march  to  their  relief,  to  be  under  the  immediate 
command  of  Colonel  Evans  [lieutenant]  of  Monongalia.  The 
defense  of  these  people  being  a  continental  as  well  as  state  ob- 
ject, I  have  desired  Colonel  Evans  to  maintain  a  correspondence 
with  you,  not  doubting  of  your  readiness  to  co-operate  in  re- 
pelling the  common  enemy,  as  far  as  may  be  consistent  with 
the  more  particular  duties  of  your  command  at  Fort  Pitt. 
From  the  knowledge  I  have  of  your  character,  and  the  small 
acquaintance  I  had  the  honor  to  have  with  you  in  the  army, 
I  have  taken  this  liberty  more  explicitly  to  address  you,  as  1 
hope  the  people  will  meet  with  a  more  speedy  and  efficacious 
assistance  from  you  in  their  present  distress  than  the  urgency 
of  their  circumstances  can  admit  from  a  dependence  upon  gov- 
ernment, who  are  so  far  removed  from   them;  and  in  this  ap- 

1  In  October,  177G,  the  northwestern  part  of  Virginia  —  then  known  as  the 
District  of  West  Augusta  —  was  divided  into  three  counties:  Yohogania,  Ohio, 
and  Monongalia.  (Ante,  p.  24,  note  2.)  Before  the  date  of  the  above  letter, 
Yohogania  county  had  become  extinct,  leaving  only  Ohio  and  Monongalia 
counties  west  of  the  western  boundary  line  of  Maryland.  The  north  line  of 
the  latter  county  extended  west  from  the  western  boundary  of  Maryland  along 
the  boundary  line  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  to  the  dividing  ridge 
whence  the  waters  flowed  east  into  the  Monongahela  and  west  into  the  Ohio. 
West  of  this  ridge  (which  in  its  southerly  course  divided  the  two  counties)  wag 
Ohio  county,  extending  to  the  Ohio  river  and  including  the  whole  of  what  is 
now  known  as  the  "  Pan-handle."  The  present  counties  of  Ohio  and  Monon- 
galia in  West  Virginia  are  remnants  of  the  original  ones  just  mentioned. 


Appendix  /.  273 

plication,  I  have  a  firmer  confidence  in  your  realty  attention 
to  it  from  the  reflection  that  one  Virginia  regiment  composes 
a  part  of  your  command.  The  people  of  Monongalia  are  dis- 
tressed for  ammunition  as  well  as  a  few  arms,  both  of  which  in 
the  low  state  of  our  finances  we  find  it  extremely  difficult  to 
forward  them.  If  therefore  you  have  any  to  spare,  particu- 
larly ammunition,  it  will  be  serving  them  essentially,  and  shall 
be  replaced  as  soon  as  it  can  be  forwarded;  and  as  two  or  three 
hundred  weight  will  be  sufficient,  or  indeed  half  that  quantity, 
I  am  in  hopes  it  can  be  spared  by  you  without  inconvenience. 
I  am  also  to  beg  your  assistance  towards  the  support  of  Gen- 
eral Clark,1  so  far  only  as  to  facilitate  the  transportation  and  safe 
conduct  of  a  quantity  of  military  stores  forwarded  from  Kich- 
mond  and  other  places  for  the  support  of  the  inhabitants  down 
the  Ohio,  as  well  as  to  enable  him,  if  practicable,  to  act  offen- 
sively against  the  Indians.  The  stores  are  forwarded  under  the 
care  of  a  Mr.  Carney,  whose  principal  difficulty  will  be  in  pro- 
curing boats,  an  escort,  and  provisions  for  them.  If  you  can 
afford  him  any  assistance  in  either  of  these  points  you  will  be 
rendering  a  very  essential  service  to  the  exposed  inhabitants 
of  the  new  country,  and  perhaps  enable  General  Clark  to  make 
such  a  diversion  against  the  Indians  below  as  may  have  a 
happy  influence  in  securing  the  dependencies  of  Fort  Pitt  in 
peace  and  quietness. 


II. 

War  Office,  Virginia,  May  I,  1782. 
Sir: — I  had  the  honor  to  address  you  some  time  since  on 
the  subject  of  supplies  to  General  Clark.  You  will  find  by 
the  enclosed  extract  the  dangerous  situation  in  which  that 
country  stands.  I  fear  with  all  our  exertions,  we  shall  not  be 
able  to  afford  assistance  in  proper  time.  The  letter  from  Gen- 
eral Clark  did  not  reach  me  until  last  Saturday.  I  am  there- 
fore very  uneasy  about  his  present  situation.  A  guard  of 
fifty  men  is  thought  sufficient  by  government,  but  how  to  get 

1  General  George  Rogers  Clark,  then  at  Fort  Nelson  (Louisville),  Kentucky. 
18 


Wash ington-Trvine  Correspondence. 


them  is  the  question.  If  any  persons  will  go  clown  under  the 
command  of  the  officers  entrusted  with  the  stores,  the  govern- 
ment of  this  state  will  allow  them  the  pay  of  militia,  both  for 
going  and  coming  and  for  their  provisions.  This  offer  may  be 
accepted  by  man}-,  who  are  desirous  of  going  to  that  country. 
"We  are  also  put  to  great  inconvenience  for  boats,  and  I  fear 
without  your  assistance  we  shall  suffer.  It  would  delay  us  too 
long  to  wait  till  boats  could  be  built  for  transporting  our 
stores.  Our  principal  dependence  must  therefore  be  in  hiring 
them,  upon  condition  of  paying  for  them  altogether  should 
they  not  return  by  a  certain  reasonable  period.  Upon  this 
subject,  I  have  also  written  Colonel  Crawford1  and  Major 
[John]  Hardin2  and  have  sent  the  latter  thirty  pounds  specie 
for  that  purpose,  and  should  that  be  insufficient,  his  draft 
should  be  immediately  honored  as  far  as  fifty  pounds  in  the 
whole.  But,  sir,  I  must  depend  greatly  upon  your  assistance 
in  this  matter,  as  I  fear  without  it,  we  shall  not  be  able  to  get 
the  boats. 

May  I  hope  for  an  answer  to  this  or  my  former  letter?  The 
business  is  of  consequence,  and  as  such  I  have  taken  the  liberty 
;to  submit  it  to  you. 

III. 

War  Office  [Ya.],  May  22,  1782. 
Sir: — Agreeable  to  the  direction  of  his  excellency  in  coun- 
cil, I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  of  the  steps  taken  for  the 
defense  of  the  frontiers.  Several  orders  have,  from  time  to  time, 
been  issued  according  to  the  various  circumstances  of  our  affairs 
in  that  quarter.  Upon  a  representation  of  their  distresses, 
orders  were  issued  for  one  company  of  militia  from  Hamp- 
shire to  march  to  Monongalia  [county],  and  be  disposed  of  as 

'Col.  Wm.  Crawford.  Whether  the  letter  reached  him  before  setting  out 
upon  the  expedition  against  Sandusky  in  which  he  lost  his  life,  is  unknown  ; 
probably  it  did . 

8  Of  the  13th  Virginia  regiment,  formerly.  He  had  a  son  John  Hardin,  Jr. ; 
they  were  a  branch  of  the  celebrated  Hardin  family  of  Kentucky,  of  which 
there  were  officers  in  the  revolution,  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  the  war  with 
Mexico. 


Appendix  I.  %75 

Colonel  Evans  should  direct,  and  an  officer  and  twenty  pri- 
vates from  Augusta  were  ordered  to  be  stationed  at  Tygart's 
Valley.  The  Hampshire  men  were  to  be  relieved  by  a  com- 
pany formed  from  Rockingham  and  Augusta  and  the  ensign 
and  twenty  [men]  were  to  return  without  relief  at  the  end  of 
two  months.  In  addition  to  these  detachments,  it  was  after- 
wards found  necessary  to  order  a  re-enforcement  of  thirty-one 
rank  and  file  from  Augusta,  including  the  ensign  and  twenty 
[men]  before  mentioned,  and  nineteen  rank  and  file  from 
Rockingham,  to  rendezvous  at  Tygart's  Valley,  under  the  im- 
mediate orders  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wilson,  but  subject  to 
the  general  direction  of  Colonel  Evans,  and  to  be  relieved 
after  performing  a  tour  of  two  months  by  the  counties  of. 
Shenandoah,  Frederick,  and  Berkeley,  and  the  company  first 
ordered  from  Hampshire  will  therefore  return  without  relief 
at  the  expiration  of  their  tour.  There  have  likewise  been 
subsequent  orders  [issued]  to  the  county  lieutenants  of  Au- 
gusta and  Rockingham  for  twenty-two  rank  and  file  to  be 
furnished  by  the  first,  and  thirteen  rank  and  file  from  the 
latter,  to  be  stationed  at  such  places  as  the  commanding  officer 
of  Augusta  should  think  proper  for  the  defense  of  his  county, 
and  to  be  relieved  after  performing  a  tour  of  two  months 
[duty],  by  the  militia  of  Rockbridge. 

I  have  informed  Colonel  Evans  of  the  order  of  his  excel- 
lency that  the  defense  of  the  frontier  should  be  subject. to 
your  directions  in  future,  and  have  requested  him  to  furnish 
such  portions  of  his  militia  as  you  may  think  necessary  to  call 
for.1 


IV. 


War  Office,  August  22,  17S2. 

Sir: —  I  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favor  of  the  25th 

of  May  and  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  assistance  you 

have  kindly  afforded  towards  the  transportation  of  the  stores 

for  General  Clark.     The  unfortunate  affair  of  Colonel  Craw- 

1  See  Appendix  M, —  Col.  John  Evans  to  Irvine,  June  30,  1782. 


Wash ln<jtoii-lrvhie  Correspondence. 


ford  will,  I  fear,  greatly  encourage  the  enemy  and  be  attended 
with  unhappy  consequences,  unless  timely  guarded  against. 

In  consequence  of  a  representation  of  the  designs  of  the 
enemy  against  your  post,  government  have  directed  that  orders 
should  issue  for  the  immediate  march  of  seventy-five  men 
properly  officered  from  Frederick  and  the  like  number  from 
Berkeley  [counties,  Virginia].  A  body  of  seventeen  hundred 
men  are  also  ordered  to  be  in  constant  readiness  to  march  at  a 
moment's  warning  to  your  relief  should  the  enemy  actually 
attempt  the  investiture  of  your  fort.  To  enable  you  the  more 
readily  to  assemble  this  number  of  men,  I  enclose  yon  the 
appointment  made  agreeably  to  which  orders  have  been 
issued  to  the  different  county  lieutenants.  Happy  in  having 
opportunity  to  contribute  to  the  strength  and  security  of  your 
garrison,  I  would  request  you  to  inform  me  of  anything  in  my 
department  in  which  I  can  assist  you,  and  beg  you  freely  to 
command  me. 


APPENDIX  J. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  THE  LIEUTENANT  OF  WASHINGTON 
COUNTY,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


I. —  Irvine  to  James  Marshel.1 

Fort  Pitt,  November  18,  1781. 
Sir: — I  did  not  intend  to  call  for  any  militia  this  winter  if 
it  conld  possibly  be  avoided.  But  the  continentals  are  here 
so  few  and  they  so  illy  provided  for,  and,  in  short,  so  irregu- 
lar and  in  every  respect  so  unlike  soldiers,  that  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  draw  them  as  much  together  as  the  nature  of  the 
service  will  admit,  to  try  to  new  model  and  arrange  them  be- 

1  James  Marshel, —  for  so  he  spelled  his  name  during  the  last  half  of  his 
life  —  obtained  rights  to  about  1,500  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Cross  Creek 
township,  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  between  1776  and  1778.  He 
was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  Feb.  20,  1753,  and  came  west  from  that  part 
of  Lancaster  county  which  is  now  Dauphin,  in  that  state.  In  1779,  when  the 
Presbyterian  congregations  of  Buffalo  and  Cross  Creek  called  Rev.  Joseph 
Smith,  then  of  York  county,  as  their  first  pastor,  Adam  Poe  and  Andrew  Poe 
signing  the  call,  it  being  difficult  to  find  a  person  to  bring  the  minister  from 
"  over  the  mountains,"  Marshel  offered  200  acres  of  his  land  to  any  one  who 
would  do  so.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  removal  made  by  Capt.  Joseph 
Scott,  who  received  the  land;  and  it  has  descended  direct  to  its  present  owners, 
his  grandsons,  J.  M.  K.  Reed,  Esq.,  and  his  brother  John  C.  Reed.  For  a 
time,  Marshel  was  an  elder  in  the  Buffalo  church. 

In  the  boundary  controversy,  he  was  an  ardent  Pennsylvanian,  and  in  the 
bitterness  engendered  made  enemies  of  several  of  those  who  favored  the  Vir- 
ginia jurisdiction, —  the  controversy  affecting  the  politics  of  his  section  for 
years  after  the  boundary  was  established.  When  Washington  county  was 
erected  in  1781,  he  was  commissioned  county  lieutenant,  holding  that  office  at 
date  of  the  above  letter;  also  recorder  of  deeds  and  register  of  wills.  He 
was  again  elected  recorder  and  register,  serving  from  1791  to  1795. 

Col.  Marshel  in  1795-6  advertised  all  his  lands  in  Washington  county  for 
sale,  and  removed  to  Brooke  county,  Virginia,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
March  17,  1829.  He  left  the  following  surviving  children:  John,  who  settled 
in  Washington,  Pa.;  Robert,  who  settled  in  Ohio;  a  daughter,  who  married 
Mr.  McCluny;  and  two  other  daughters,  who  died  unmarried  at  an  advanced 
age. 


278  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

fore  next  campaign.  This  being  the  state  of  facts,  I  am  com- 
pelled to  call  on  you,  to  order  a  few  militia  for  the  defense  of 
the  post  of  Wheeling.1  It  is  now  garrisoned  by  a  continental 
officer  and  fifteen  privates.  The  same  number  of  militia  is 
the  most  I  wish  you  to  order.  Indeed,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
fewer  would  do  during  the  winter;  as  I  think  there  can  be 
nothing  more  necessary  than  barely  to  keep  a  look-out,  take 
care  of  the  post,  and  give  an  alarm  to  the  inhabitants  in  case 
of  danger. 

If  you  are  of  the  same  opinion,  and  can  accomplish  it,  I 
propose  that  you  engage  one  discreet,  intelligent  subaltern 
officer  with  six  or  seven  men,  to  take  charge  of  the  post,  by 
the  first  of  December  at  farthest,  and  to  remain  there  until 
the  first  of  March  unless  sooner  discharged  or  relieved;  they 
to  be  allowed  for  it  as  having  served  a  tour  of  militia  duty, 
and  every  other  emolument  and  allowance  agreeable  to  law. 
If  you  approve  of  this  scheme,  I  request  you  will  lose  no 
time  in  putting  it  into  execution.2  But  if  inconvenient,  then 
you  are  to  order  out,  agreeable  to  law,  one  subaltern,  one  ser- 
geant, one  corporal  and  fifteen  privates.  When  they  are 
ready  to  march,  they  are  to  come  to  me  for  instructions.3 

1  In  July,  1774,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  hostilities  in  Lord  Dun- 
more's  war,  Major  Angus  McDonald  arrived  over  the  mountains  with  a  con- 
siderable force  of  Virginia  militia,  to  take  part  in  the  conflict  against  the 
savages.  He  went  down  to  the  mouth  of  Wheeling  creek,  where,  subse- 
quently, the  whole  force,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Lord  Dunmore, 
rendezvoused.  A  stockade  fort  was  there  erected  under  the  joint  direction  of 
McDonald  and  Captain  William  Crawford;  it  is  now  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia.  The  post  was  first  called  Fort  Fincastle.  Its  name, 
after  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  was  changed  to  Fort  Henry,  in 
honor  of  Patrick  Henry,  governor  of  the  state.  It  was  several  times  assailed 
by  the  enemy  during  the  revolution  but  never  taken. 

2 The  idea  of  General  Irvine  in  "this  scheme  "  was,  to  induce  Marshel  to 
fill  up  the  post  at  Wheeling  after  relieving  the  continentals,  who  constituted 
its  garrison,  with  volunteers,  if  he  could  well  do  so.  This  he  preferred  to 
making  a  "  call  "  for  the  requisite  number  of  militia,  which,  in  reality,  was 
a  draft.  But  Marshel,  as  will  be  seen  in  his  reply,  was  "  tired  out  with  volun- 
teer  plans." 

8  Extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsyl- 
vania: 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  Monday,  October  8,  1781. 

,;  A  letter  from  his  excellency  the  president  of  congress  of  this  day  was  re- 


Appendix  J.  879 

I  have  ordered  the  bearer  to  wait  one,  or  two  days  at  most, 
for  your  answer,  which  I  request  by  him,  whatever  your  deter- 
mination may  be.1  

II. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County  [Pa.],2  November  20,  1781. 
Sir: —  I  am  this  moment  honored  with  your  favor  of  the 
eighteenth,  and  am  sorry  I  cannot  comply  with  your  requisi- 
tion for  engaging  a  number  of  men  for  the  defense  of  Fort 
Wheeling,  as  I  am  fairly  tired  out  with  volunteer  plans; 
besides,  I  have  received  orders  from  [the  supreme  execu- 
tive] council   [of  Pa.] 3  to  call   out   the  militia   according  to 

ceived  and  read,  inclosing  a  resolution  of  congress  of  the  twenty-fourth  of 
September  last,  appointing  Brigadier  General  William  Irvine  to  the  command 
of  the  continental  post  of  Fort  Pitt." 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  Thursday,  October  11,  1781. 

"  The  council  took  into  consideration  a  resolve  of  congress  of  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  September  last,  appointing  Brigadier  General  Irvine  to  the  com- 
mand of  Fort  Pitt;  and  thereupon, 

"  Ordered,  That  agreeably  to  the  said  recommendation  (ante,  p.  72,  note  1), 
the  lieutenants  of  the  counties  of  Washington  and  Westmoreland  be  ordered 
to  call  forth  agreeably  to  law,  upon  his  requisition,  such  militia  as  may  be 
necessary  for  that  post  and  the  protection  of  the  country." 

1  Marshel,  as  lieutenant  of  Washington  county,  received  his  appointment 
from  the  supreme  executive  council  of  the  state  on  the  2d  of  April,  1781.  By 
virtue  of  his  office,  he  had  a  general  supervision  over  military  affairs  of  the 
county;  or,  in  other  words,  over  everything  appertaining  to  the  militia  therein 
(ante,  p.  12,  note  1).  His  sub-lieutenants  after  December  24,  1781,  were: 
William  McCleery,  William  Parker,  George  Vallandigham  and  Matthew 
Ritchie. 

2  Very  likely  this,  the  first  letter  of  Marshel  to  Irvine,  was  written  at  his 
house  in  what  is  now  Cross  Creek  township,  Washington  county,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Thomas  McCorkle,  Sr. 

3 These  "orders,"  directed  to  the  lieutenants  of  Westmoreland  and  Wash- 
ington counties,  were  in  the  following  words : 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  October  11,  1781. 
"Sir: — You  will  perceive  by  the  inclosed  resolve  of  congress  (ante,  p.  72, 
note  1),  that  Brigadier  General  Irvine  is  appointed  to  repair  forthwith  to  Fort 
Pitt  and  take  upon  him  the  command  of  that  garrison.  The  council  is  dis- 
posed to  pay  a  due  respect  to  the  regulation  of  congress,  and  to  afford  General 
Irvine  all  the  assistance  in  their  power.  You  are,  therefore,  hereby  ordered 
to  call  forth  agreeable  to  law,  upon  his  requisition,  such  militia  as  may  be 
necessary  for  the  defense  of  that  post  and  the  protection  of  the  country." 


2S0  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

law  on  your  order.  I  shall,  therefore,  order  out  according  to 
class,  the  number  of  militia  yon  have  demanded  and  order  the 
officer  to  wait  upon  you  for  instructions.1 


III.  —  Mabshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  November  26,  17S1. 
Sir: — The  bearer  hereof  is  the  officer  who  is  to  take  the 
command  of  the  militia  I  have  drafted*  for  the  post  at 
"Wheeling.  I  have,  therefore,  directed  him  to  wait  upon  you 
for  orders.  You  will  please  to  dismiss  him  with  all  possible 
dispatch  that  he  may  attend  the  rendezvous  at  Catfish  Camp 
[now  Washington,  Washington  county,  Pa.],  on  Thursday,  the 
29th  inst.3 

1  This  ordering  out  of  the  militia  upon  Irvine's  requisition,  was  not  in  lieu 
of,  nor  did  it  in  any  manner  interfere  with  the  drafting  of  the  militia  to  serve 
under  the  orders  of  the  lieutenant  of  the  county.  In  the  one  case,  they  were 
supplied  with  arms,  ammunition  and  provisions  by  the  United  States;  in  the 
other,  by  the  state.  On  the  5th  of  April  following,  this  regulation  was 
changed  (ante,  p.  104  and  note  1).  Irvine  then  took  charge  of  all  matters  con- 
cerning the  defense  of  the  frontier. 

8  By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  when  Marshel  ordered  out  any  desired  number 
of  militia,  for  whatever  service,  he  did  so  by  drafting,  and  from  a  particular 
class;  that  is,  from  those  not  exempt  because  of  having  served  on  previous 
tours.     (See,  also,  his  previous  letter.) 

3  The  detachment  ordered  out  was  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  John 
Hay.     Irvine's  instructions  to  that  officer  were  as  follows: 

"Fokt  Titt,  Xovonbcr  28,  1781. 
"Sir: — You  will  proceed  with  the  detachment  under  your  command  to 
Wheeling,  there  to  relieve  the  garrison  of  continental  troops  [consisting  of 
one  officer  and  fifteen  privates],  taking  on  yourself  the  charge  of  the  post.  I 
do  not  apprehend  any  danger  of  an  attack  during  the  winter  season  of  any 
considerable  number  of  the  enemy,  notwithstanding  you  ought  to  be  vigilant 
and  guard  against  being  surprised,  which  a  few  skulking  savages  might  affect 
if  you  should  be  found  off  your  guard,  and  which  could  not  fail  of  bringing 
disgrace  on  you  and  might  be  attended  with  fatal  consequences  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  settlements,  the  protection  of  whom  is  the  main  object  of  your 
being  posted  there.  You  will  also  see  that  no  waste  takes  place  of  any  public 
property;  suffer  no  person  to  pass  down  the  river  without  a  permit  from  the 
commandant  at  this  place;  stop  and  secure  all  suspected  p  trsons,  giving  me 
the  earliest  notice  in  your  power;  and  you  will  also  inform  me  from  time  to 
time  of  every  material  occurrence. 


Appendix  J.  281 


IV. —  Irvine  to  Maeshel. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  10,  1782. 
Sir: — You  will  please  to  order  one  subaltern,  one  sergeant 
and  fifteen  privates,  to  relieve  Lieutenant  [John]  Hay  and  his 
garrison  at  Fort  Henry,  or  Wheeling,  in  such  time  as  you  will 
judge  they  will  with  certainty  reach  that  post  by  the  1st  day 
of  February.1     You  will  be  so  good  as  to  direct  the  officer  you 

"  You  will  take  an  inventory  of  all  public  stores  from  the  officer  you  relieve; 
and  when  you  are  relieved  deliver  a  similar  one,  taking  a  receipt  from  the  re- 
lieving- officer. 

"  In  case  of  an  attack  you  will  maintain  your  post  to  the  last  extremity, 
giving  the  earliest  notice  to  the  country  that  they  may  come  to  your  support; 
or  to  me  by  express  if  in  your  power. 

"  Any  provisions  you  procure  for  your  party  shall  be  paid  for  by  the  con- 
tractors here,  on  your  certificates  addressed  to  me,  provided  it  does  not  amount 
to  more  than  the  allowance  for  the  number  of  men.  In  procuring  provisions 
by  barter  of  Yates  you  will  doubtless  make  the  best  bargain  in  your  power. 
I  have  entire  confidence  in  your  prudence  and  vigilance.  I  am,  dear  sir,  your 
humble  servant,  Wm.  Irvine, 

"  B.  G.  Commanding  Fort  Pitt  and  Dependencies." 

1  That  Marshel  was  fully  able  to  comply  with  General  Irvine's  requisition, 
the  following  letter  to  Wdliam  Moore,  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  is  evidence: 

"  Washington  County,  February  4,  1782. 

"  Sir: —  By  this  opportunity  I  have  made  return  of  the  officers  of  this  county, 
although  the  whole  is  not  yet  commissioned  as  will  appear  by  the  return  in- 
closed. The  officers  and  privates  of  the  seventh  company  in  the  first  battalion 
refuse  to  become  subjects  of  this  state  [Pennsylvania].  The  greatest  part  of 
the  other  officers  elected,  and  not  yet  commissioned,  objects  to  taking  the  oath 
of  allegiance  until  the  line  is  run.  This  difficulty  I  hope  council  will  cause  to 
be  removed  as  soon  as  possible.  The  field  officers  of  the  first  battalion  were 
not  elected  by  ballot,  as  the  law  directs,  on  account  of  a  large  mob  that  pre- 
vented those  who  were  disposed  to  comply  with  the  law  from  doing  it  in  that 
manner,  although  they  were,  on  the  day  appointed  for  election,  elected  verbally 
by  a  great  majority,  and  therefore  are  commissioned. 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  your  excellency  that  I  have  been  fully 
able  to  comply  with  your  order  in  calling  forth  the  militia  agreeable  to  law, 
on  General  Irvine's  requisition.  The  only  difficulty  we  are  under  at  present 
is  the  want  of  provision  for  the  militia  when  in  actual  service,  the  contractors 
not  being  able  to  purchase  more  than  is  necessary  for  the  regular  troops.  No 
doubt  this  difficulty  will  also  be  removed  in  due  time. 

"James  Marshel,  L.  W.  C." 

In  this  connection,  it  may  be  noted  that  the  battalion  of  Colonel  David 


888  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

send,  to  take  a  copy  of  my  instructions  to  Lieutenant  Hay, 
for  his  government.1 

Y. —  Irvine   to  Marshel. 

Fort  Pitt,  March  29,  1782. 

Sir: — "When  your  letter  of  yesterday  to  Colonel  Gibson  2 
came  to  hand,  I  was  just  about  to  send  mine  to  you,  by  express. 
I  now  take  the  opportunity  of  Captain  Smith.  The  object  of 
my  command  in  this  quarter  is  to  countenance  and  protect  the 
people  by  every  possible  means  (with  propriety)  in  my  power. 

Though  I  am  not  so  well  acquainted  with  the  present  in- 
tended plan  8  as  I  could  wish,  or  indeed  would  be  necessary 

Williamson  (the  3d)  is  not  mentioned  in  Marshel's  letter.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  also,  it  may  here  be  stated  that  Colonel  Williamson,  at  that  date,  had 
received  and  accepted  his  commission  from  Marshel  as  colonel  of  his  battalion, 
and  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance.  It  is  likewise  certain  that  the  latter  looked 
upon  Williamson  as  his  "  right  hand  man  "  in  all  matters  of  importance  con- 
nected with  his  office  of  county  lieutenant.     (See  letter  No.  VII  following.) 

1  On  the  sixteenth  of  January,  as  already  mentioned  (ante,  p.  84,  note  2), 
Gen.  Irvine  left  Fort  Pitt  to  confer  with  congress  on  the  state  of  affairs  in  the 
west,  leaving  Colonel  John  Gibson  in  temporary  command  of  the  post.  Pre- 
vious to  his  starting,  he  wrote  Marshel  of  his  intended  trip,  notifying  him 
that  Col.  Gibson  would  command  in  his  absence,  and  that  he  should  "  order 
out  such  numbers  of  militia  (not  exceeding  sixty)  for  one  tour  "  of  a  month's 
duration,  as  the  colonel  might  require.  (See  first  letter  of  Appendix  K,  which 
is  the  same  as  the  one  sent  Marshel,  substituting  the  name  of  the  latter  for 
that  of  Col.  Edward  Cook.)  It  is  known  that  Gibson  conferred  with  Marshel 
during  Irvine's  absence  as  to  public  affairs,  particularly  as  to  the  garrisons 
established  on  the  frontiers  of  Washington  county  and  the  number  of  men 
allotted  to  each.     (See  Marshel's  next  letter.) 

2  Not  found.  It  was  doubtless  written  to  Colonel  Gibson  under  the  im- 
pression that  Irvine  had  not  yet  returned  to  Fort  Pitt. 

2 This  "intended  plan"  was  a  proposed  expedition  from  Washington 
county  against  the  Wyandots  upon  the  Sandusky.  The  enterprise  was  very 
quickly  given  up;  but  the  scheme  was  laid  so  soon  after  the  "Gnadenhuetten 
affair11  that  a  message  received  at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  to  the  effect 
iien  were  to  meet  on  the  18th  of  March  to  go  to  Sandusky,  was  con- 
strued by  the  Moravians  there  to  mean  "for  the  purpose  of  cutting  off  the 
remainder  "  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at  that  place.  (See  Appendix  M, —  Seidel 
i<>  Irvine,  April  11,  1782.)  Of  course,  there  was  no  such  purpose  in  the  minds 
of  those  planning  the  expedition.  When,  however,  Crawford's  expedition 
did  g ■>  to  the  Sandusky,  the  same  was  said  of  it  —  "  to  murder  the  remnant 


Appendix  J.  283 

for  me,  yet  I  cannot  think  of  letting  any  good  opportunity 
slip,  or  which  may  be  thought  so  by  people  (who  have,  I  hope, 
duly  weighed  matters)  for  a  nicer  point  of  formality  or  eti- 
quette. I  therefore  send  you  an  order  by  Captain  Smith  on 
the  officer  commanding  at  Fort  Mcintosh  for  ammunition  and 
Hints.  There  the  principal  stock  of  these  articles  are,  which 
is  at  present  in  my  power.  I  hope  it  may  be  obtained  in  due 
time.     I  sincerely  wish  the  party  success. 


VI. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  April  2,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  have  been  honored  with  your  favors  of  the  28th 
and  29th  ult.,1  with  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  find  you  were 
disposed  to  supply  us  with  ammunition,  although  we  have  not 
been  able  to  execute  the  proposed  plan.  I  am  under  the  dis- 
agreeable necessity  of  informing  you  that  the  principal  post 
on  the  river,  namely,  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek,2  has  been 
evacuated  for  some  days  for  want  of  provision,  which  I  am 
afraid  will  prevent  my  attendance  at  Fort  Pitt  on  Friday  next, 
being  obliged  to  fill  up  that  station,  and  supply  them  with 
provision  as  soon  as  possible  in  order  to  prevent  the  frontier 
in  that  quarter  from  breaking.  However,  I  shall  most  heartily 
concur  in  any  plan  that  may  be  adopted  for  the  good  of  the 
country;  and  as  soon  as  matters  are  on  any  tolerable  footing 
in  this  county,  I  will  do  myself  the  honor  to  wait  upon  you  at 
Pittsburgh. 

of  the  Christian  Indians,"  there;  and  this  has  ever  since  been  constantly  re- 
iterated in  current  histories  of  the  west;  until,  finally,  the  publication  in 
another  work  (Crawford 's  Campaign  against  Sandusky)  of  Irvine's  instruc- 
tions to  the  commander  of  that  expedition  (see,  also,  note  on  p.  118  of  this 
book),  and  much  other  positive  testimony,  showed  its  utter  fallacy. 

1  That  of  the  28th  not  found;  but  see  a  similar  one,  Appendix  K, —  Irvine 
to  Cook,  of  the  same  date. 

2 That  is  to  say,  "opposite  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek."  This  stream,  a 
tributary  of  the  Ohio,  flows  into  that  river  on  the  right,  on  what  was  then  the 
Indian  side  of  the  Ohio,  fifty-five  miles  by  water  below  Pittsburgh.  It  was  at 
or  near  this  point,  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio,  that  the  killing  of 
Logan's  (the  Mingo  chief's)  relatives  took  place  on  the  30th  of  April,  1774. 


884  WasMn gton-Irvine  Correspondence. 

I  have  ordered  a  number  of  the  field  officers  of  this  county 
to  attend  at  the  time  and  place  appointed  in  your  letter  to  me 
of  the  2Sth  of  March,  for  the  purpose  therein  mentioned.1 
I  have  also  requested  James  Edgar,  Esq.,  one  of  our  repre- 
sentatives, to  attend  as  aforesaid.  Should  he  attend,  I  could 
wish   he  might  be  admitted  to  sit  in  your  council.2     Colonel 

1  Ante,  p.  104,  and  note. 

2  James  Edgar,  then  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  western  department,  was  a 
native  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  November  15,  1744.  His  father  subsequently  removed  to  North 
Carolina,  but  young  Edgar  remained  on  his  farm  until  the  outset  of  the  rev- 
olution. By  the  committee  of  York  county  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
provincial  conference  of  June  18,  177G,  and  elected  by  the  people  to  the  con- 
vention of  July  15,  following.  He  was  a  member  of  the  assembly.  1776-7, 
from  his  native  county;  of  the  provincial  council  of  safety  from  October  17  to 
December  4,  1777,  when  he  took  his  seat  in  the  supreme  executive  council,  an 
office  he  filled  acceptably  until  February  13,  1779.  In  the  autumn  of  this 
year,  he  removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  that  part  which 
afterward  became  Washington  county.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  latter 
county,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  justices  July  15,  1781,  and,  along  with 
John  Canon,  was  representative  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  state,  at  the 
date  of  the  above  letter.  He  was  admitted  to  take  part  in  the  council  held 
by  Irvine  on  the  5th  of  April. —  Adapted  from  Wm.  H.  Egle,  in  Penn.  Mag. 
of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  324. 

John  Canon,  the  other  representative  (he  was  not,  however,  at  the  council), 
came  to  what  was  afterward  Washington  county,  as  early  as  1774.  In  Feb- 
ruary of  that  year,  he  and  Henry  Taylor  were  appointed  by  the  Westmoreland 
county  court  to  view  a  road  from  the  Gist  settlement  on  the  Youghiogheny 
river  to  Paul  Froman's  mill  on  Chartiers  creek  —  the  place  afterward 
occupied  by  Dorsey  Pentecost,  —  within  a  few  miles  of  the  place  where  Canon 
afterwards  founded  the  town  of  Canonsburgh.  Canon  at  once  appears  as  a 
partisan  of  Virginia,  in  the  boundary  controversy,  and  was  a  justice  of  her 
Yohogania  county  court.  This  court  was  continued  until  August,  1780,  though 
the  boundary  compromise  was  made  in  1779;  and,  on  the  organization  of 
Washington  county,  in  1781,  Canon  was  appointed  one  of  the  sub-lieutenants 
under  James  Marshel  as  county  lieutenant.  In  17*4,  he  was  commissioned 
a  justice  of  the  Washington  county  courts,  which  position  he  occupied  until 
his  death.  In  1782,  he  was,  as  we  have  seen,  a  representative  in  the  general 
assembly  of  his  state  (ante,  p.  205,  note),  having  been  elected  the  fall  previous. 

Canon  had  acquired  Virginia  rights  to  three  several  tracts  of  land  adjoining 
each  other  and  together  containing  over  1,000  acres,  in  Chartiers  Valley, 
about  eight  miles  north  of  Washington  and  about  twenty  miles  south  of 
Pittsburgh,  on  one  of  which  he  laid  the  town  of  Canonsburgh,  where  he  lived 
till  he  died.     He,  with  other  public-spirited  citizens,  brought  about  the  estab- 


Appendix  J.  %S5 

[John]  Gibson  will  be  able  to  imform  you  the  number  of  gar- 
risons on  the  frontier  of  this  county,  together  with  the  num- 
ber of  men  allotted  to  each,  as  agreed  upon  by  us  in  your 
absence.  Maj.  [James]  Oarmichael1  will  report  to  you  the 
situation  of  each  garrison,  except  the  one  at  [opposite]  the 
mouth  of  Yellow  creek,  at  which  place  there  were  thirty  men, 
besides  eight  invalids  left  at  some  of  the  frontier  houses, 
which  number  I  expect  to  have  again  at  that  place  in  a  few 
days;  but  how  long  we  shall  be  able  to  continue  them,  I  know 
not,  as  we  have  never  yet  been  supplied  by  government  with 
one  article  to  support  the  militia  in  actual  service,  except  the 
ammunition  we  have  received  from  your  garrison.  However, 
this  is  most  certain,  that  unless  an  expedition  be  carried 
against  some  of  the  principal  towns  early  this  summer,  this 
country  must  unavoidably  suffer.  But  if,  at  your  council,  it 
is  thought  best  not  to  carry  an  expedition  early  in  the  summer, 
I  shall  expect  that  the  number  of  militia  called  out  for  the 
protection  of  the  country  will  be  justly  proportioned  in  the 
different  counties.  But  I  flatter  myself  that  an  expedition 
will  be  promoted,  and  that  we  shall  be  able  to  raise  our  full 
quota  in  this  county.  About  the  15th  of  May  next  appears 
to  me  to  be  a  proper  time  for  the  rendezvous.2 

lishment  in  that  town  of  a  high  school,  which  in  1791  was  organized  as  an 
academy,  he  donating  the  lot  and  erecting  the  building.  In  1794,  the  acad- 
emy was  incorporated  by  the  state  legislature,  and  Canon  made  one  of  the 
trustees.  He  died  in  the  latter  part  of  1798,  just  before  that  institution  was 
made  Jefferson  college,  long  afterward  an  influential  institution  of  learning. 
Canon  was  an  active,  intelligent  and  gentlemanly  man.  He  died  when  but 
little  past  the  meridian  of  life,  leaving  a  widow  and  several  children.  Mrs. 
Canon  was  eminently  pious,  friendly  and  generous.  Her  house  was  the  seat 
of  hospitality,  the  favorite  resort  of  Christian  ministers  and  serious  students. 

1  James  Carmichael  should  not  be  confounded  with  John  Carmichael.  The 
last  mentioned  had,  previously  to  1775,  settled  in  what  is  now  Franklin  town- 
ship, Fayette  county,  that  state,  then  Westmoreland  county,  on  the  waters 
of  Redstone  creek,  about  eight  miles  from  Col.  Cook's,  where  he  erected  a 
mill.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1776, 
and  of  the  general  assembly  in  1777.  He  died  in  1796,  leaving  a  widow  and 
two  sons,  James  and  Thomas. —  Wm.  H.  Egle,  in  Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and 
Biog.,  Vol.  III. 

2  This  was  an  official  foreshadowing  of  Crawford's  campaign  against 
Sandusky. 


2S6  Washington-Z-rmne  Correspondence. 

VII. —  Marsh  el  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  April  4,  1782. 

Sir: — The  bearer  hereof,  Colonel  Williamson,1  is  now  pre- 
pared for  a  voyage  down  the  river  with  about  30,000  weight 
of  flour;  but,  from  a  real  love  to  his  country,  proposes  not 
only  to  carry  an  expedition  against  Sandusky,  with  the  militia 
of  his  county  together  with  what  volunteers  might  be  raised 
in  Westmoreland,  but  also  to  advance  such  part  of  the  above 
flour  as  might  be  necessary  on  the  occasion,  on  condition  it 
would  be  replaced  in  the  fall  or  paid  for  in  cash.  I  find  it 
much  more  difficult  to  supply  our  militia  in  actual  service  with 
provision  than  I  expected,2  and  that  the  people  in  general  on 
the  frontier,  are  waiting  with  anxious  expectation  to  know 
whether  an  expedition  can  be  carried  against  Sandusky  early 
this  spring  or  not.  I  could  therefore  wish  that  Colonel  Will- 
iamson would  be  countenanced  in  this  plan,  if,  with  propri- 
ety, it  can  be  done. 

P.  S. —  Colonel  Williamson  will  be  able  to  give  you  a  true 
account  of  the  situation  of  our  frontier  at  present. 


VIII. —  Marstiel  to  Irvine. 
Catfish  [now  Washington],  May  1st,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  Since  I  wrote  you  by  Mr.  Kerr,  your  express 
arrived  with  the  disagreeable  intelligence  of  the  desertion  of 

1  David  Williamson,  colonel,  at  the  above  date,  of  the  3d  battalion  of  Wash- 
ington county  militia,  was,  it  will  be  remembered,  present  at  the  meeting  at 
Fort  Pitt  called  by  General  Irvine  for  the  5th  of  April,  1782  (ante,  p.  104,  note 
1).  His  project  against  Sandusky  was  not  a  new  one.  Ever  since  the  Wyan- 
dots  had  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the  border,  the  destruction  of  their 
villages  was  "a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished."  To  that  end  a  num- 
ber of  schemes  had  been  laid;  but,  for  various  reasons,  all  had  proven  abor- 
tive; until  now  the  whole  frontier  were  "  waiting  with  anxious  expectation  to 
know  whether  an  expedition  "  could  be  "carried  "  against  that  most  prolific 
hive  of  mischief  to  the  border.  (For  a  biographical  notice  of  Williamson, 
see  Appendix  M, —  Williamson  to  Irvine,  June  13,  1782,  note.) 

•  That  is,  in  service  under  his  orders  as  lieutenant  of  the  county ;  not  such  as 
had  been  drafted  and  put  under  General  Irvine's  orders;  but,  by  the  arrange- 
ment made  the  next  day  at  Fort  Pitt  between  Irvine  and  the  principal  field 
officers  of  the  militia  and  others,  this  was  changed  (ante,  p.  104,  note  1). 


Appendix  J.  287 

some  of  your  troops.  I  have  used  every  method  in  my 
power  to  alarm  the  inhabitants  of  this  county,  and  to  encour- 
age the  apprehending  suspected  persons.1 

Since  I  had  the  honor  of  consulting  you  on  the  expediency 
of  an  expedition  against  Sandusky,  I  have  met  with  the  officers 
and  principal  people  of  this  county  and  find  that,  in  all  proba- 
bilitj7,  we  shall  be  able  to  carry  the  expedition;  I  therefore 
request  you  will  send  by  the  first  opportunity  such  instruc- 
tions to  the  officer  who  may  be  appointed  to  command  as  you 
may  think  proper. 

The  bearer,  Captain  Thomas  Parkison,  a  gentleman  of 
credit  and  considerable  property,  will  undertake  to  supply  the 
militia  in  actual  service  at  ll^d.  per  ration;  which  I  believe  is 
as  low  as  any  person  can  undertake  it  for.  I  could  wish  this 
gentleman  might  be  employed,  as  he  can  be  depended  upon 
for  the  fulfilling  any  engagement  he  may  enter  into  [ante, 
p.  203]. 

P.  S. —  You  will  please  to  forward  by  your  express,  Captain 
[John]  Hughes'  letter  to  council.2  Monday,  the  20th  inst.,  is 
appointed  for  the  general  rendezvous  at  the  Mingo  Bottom 
[on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio]. 

1  Ante,  p.  112.  On  the  1st  day  of  June,  Irvine  issued  the  following  or- 
der: ".  .  .  The  general  would  fondly  flatter  himself  that  he  will  not  be 
much  troubled  with  the  trial  of  deserters,  or  disobedience  of  orders,  in  the 
future;  but  lest  any  should  remain  so  abandoned  as  to  desert,  he  thinks  proper 
to  give  this  notice,  that  it  is  his  determination  to  give  positive  orders  to  all 
officers  or  parties  who  shall  be  sent  after  them,  to  put  to  death  all  deserters, 
whatsoever,  in  the  same  manner  as  they  would  or  ought  the  common  enemy 
of  the  United  States.  .  .  At  the  same  time  that  he  is  determined  to  keep 
up  vigorous  discipline,  he  will  not  cease  to  be  the  friend  of  the  faithful  sol- 
dier."    (See,  in  this  connection,  p.  119,  note  1.) 

2  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  executive 
council  of  Pennsylvania: 

"Philadelphia,  Dec.  27,  1781. 
"The  council  taking  into  consideration  the  appointing  officers  for  the  rang- 
ing company  for  the  county  of  Washington, 

"Resolved,  That  John  Hughes,  Esq.,  be  appointed  and  commissioned  to  be 
captain  of  a  company  of  rangers  to  be  raised  in  the  county  of  Washington.'" 
Captain  Hughes'  letter  to  Moore,  mentioned  above,  was  as  follows: 

"Catfish  Camp,  Washington  Co.,  May  1st,  1782. 
"Sir: —  As  Colonel  Marshel  has  informed  me  that  an  express  for  Philadel- 


2SS  ~\Yashington-lrvine  Correspondence. 


IX. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

"Washington  County,  May  ll,1  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — Agreeable  to  your  requisition  of  the  6th  nit., 

I  have  called  out  a  number  of  the  militia  of  this  county,  to 
relieve  those  on  duty,  and  directed  [Lieutenant]  Colonel  Yal- 

phia  is  to  set  out  to-morrow,  I  take  the  opportunity  to  lot  your  excellency  in 
council  know  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  raising  men  in  this  country  upon 
the  principles  council  have  thought  proper  to  order.  My  officers  and  myself 
have  been  as  industrious  as  circumstances  could  possibly  admit.  I  conceive 
the  only  mode  would  be  to  class  the  county  for  eighteen  months  men,  which 
would  be  two  campaigns,  or  any  other  term  the  council  should  think  neces- 
sary. This  is  the  sentiment  of  the  better  kind  of  people  in  this  country  as 
well  as  my  own. 

"  There  are  many  other  reasons  that  hinder  the  officers  in  the  recruiting 
service,  as  having  not  cash  except  such  as  are  for  that  service  and  no  provis- 
ion made  here  for  their  subsistence,  that  renders  them  under  these  disadvan- 
tages. Please  your  excellency  in  council  to  consider  these  grievances  that  I 
have  laid  down,  and  I  make  no  doubt  but  they  will  be  remedied.     .     .     . 

"John  Hughes, 
"  Captain  Washington  Rangers." 

1  It  will  be  seen  by  a  reference  to  pages  233  and  239,  ante,  that,  on  the  first  day 
of  May,  Irvine  wrote  Marshel  for  his  report  of  the  expedition  that  went  to  the 
Tuscarawas — "Williamson's  expedition;"  that  he  received  Marshel's  reply 
and  transmitted  it  (with  the  one  received  from  Colonel  Williamson)  on  the 
third  of  May  to  Moore;  and  that  neither  the  letter  of  Irvine  to  Marshel  nor 
the  replies  thereto  have  been  found.  This  hiatus  in  the  correspondenca  will, 
it  is  feared,  never  be  filled. 

Various  relations,  besides  the  one  received  from  the  secretary  of  congress 
(ante,  p.  238,  note),  had  reached  the  supreme  executive  council  concerning  the 
"Gnadenhuetten  affair"  before  the  letters  of  Marshel  and  Williamson  were 
forwarded.  The  first  published  account  of  what  transpired  upon  the  "  Mus- 
kingum" after  the  arrival  of  the  militia,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Packet  of  April  16,  1782,  and  in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette  of  the  next  day. 
This  account,  after  mentioning  that  the  Indians  had  collected  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions  to  supply  their  war- parties,  says : 

"They  [the  militia]  arrived  at  the  town  [Gnadenhuetten]  in  the  night,  un- 
discovered, attacked  the  Indians  in  their  cabins,  and  so  completely  surprised 
them,  that  they  killed  and  scalped  upwards  of  ninety  (but  a  few  making  their 
escape),  about  forty  of  which  were  warriors,  the  rest  old  men,  women  and 
children.  About  eighty  horses  fell  into  their  hands,  which  they  loaded  with 
the  plunder,  the  greatest  part  furs  and  skins,  and  returned  to  the  Ohio,  with- 
out the  loss  of  one  man,  and  at  the  place  where  they  chose  their  officers  they 
held  a  vendue.     And  in  order  to  prevent  the  inhabitants  from  bidding  against 


Appendix  J.  %S9 

landigham1  and  Major  White2  to  wait  upon  you  for  instructions. 
You  will  please  to  order  to  them  such  quantity  of  arms  as  can 
be  spared;  flints  will  also  be  wanted  for  the  use  of  the  militia 
on  the  frontiers,  but  much  more  so  for  the  expedition;  there- 
fore, I  have  sent  the  bearer  for  such  number  of  flints  as  can 
be  spared,  in  order  that  the  party  that  goes  on  the  expedition 
may  be  supplied  first.  Please  to  send  by  the  bearer  such  in- 
structions to  the  officer  who  may  be  appointed  to  command  as 
you  may  think  proper  to  give. 


X. —  Makshel  to  Irvine. 

"Washington  County,  May  29,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  on  Satur- 
day last,  about  five  hundred  men  3  (including  officers)  set  out 
for  Sandusky,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  [William]  Craw- 
ford. A  perfect  harmony  subsisted  among  officers  and  men, 
and  all  were  in  high  spirits, —  no  accident  of  any  consequence 

the  adventurers,  they  divided  the  spoil  equally  between  officers  and  men,  first 
reimbursing  those  who  had  lost  their  horses  in  swimming  the  river." 

Before  the  foregoing  appeared  in  the  Philadelphia  papers,  several  reports 
were  circulated  east  of  the  mountains  concerning  the  "  Gnadenhuetten  affair." 
One  was  to  the  effect  that  one  hundred  and  sixty  militia  from  the  Ohio  had 
destroyed  two  Delaware  Indian  towns  and  killed  ninety-five  Indians;  another 
that  the  militia  had  killed  ninety-nine  Moravian  Indians,  namely:  thirty- 
three  men  and  sixty -six  women.  A  third  ran  as  follows:  "The  Moravian 
Indian  congregation  at  Sandusky  is  butchered  by  the  Scotch.  They  came 
and  told  them  they  must  prepare  directly  for  death.  The  Indians  requested 
but  an  hour's  time  for  this  purpose,  which  was  granted.  They  went  to  their 
meeting  house  to  join  in  prayers  to  the  Lord.  After  the  hour  had  passed, 
they  [the  militia]  fell  upon  them  and  butchered  all  of  them  in  cold  blood, 
in  the  meeting  house,  and  then  set  the  house  on  fire."  (See.  in  this  con- 
nection, Appendix  M,— Seidel  to  Irvine,  April  11,  1782— post,  p.  358,  note  4.) 

1  George  Vallandigham  (grandfather  of  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  the  late 
noted  Ohio  politician)  was,  at  the  above  date,  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  second 
battalion  of  Washington  county  militia;  also  one  of  the  sub-lieutenants  of  the 
county,  under  Marshel. 

2  John  White,  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  that  date,  living  in  Strabane  town- 
ship, Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 

3  The  number  which  actually  inarched  was  four  hundred  and  sixty-eight, 
but  a  few  of  these  returned  before  reaching  the  Tuscarawas. 

19 


£90  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

happening  either  in  crossing  the  river  or  during  their  stay  at 
the  Mingo  bottom  [on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio]. 

I  have  not  yet  ascertained  with  exactness  the  number  of 
men  from  the  different  counties,  but  I  believe  they  are  nearly 
as  follows,  namely:  Westmoreland,1  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty;  Ohio  [county],2  about  twenty;  and  Washington,3  three 
hundred  and  fifty.  Mr.  Rose,  your  aid-de-camp  [ante,  p.  117], 
was  very  hearty  when  I  left  him.  His  services  on  this  occa- 
sion have  endeared  you  much  to  the  people  of  this  county,  and 
given  general  satisfaction  to  the  men  on  the  expedition. 

A  report  prevails  in  the  country  that  Britain  has  acknowl- 
edged our  independence.  I  could  wish  to  be  informed  of  the 
truth  of  this  report.  I  have  been  asked  by  a  Presbyterian 
minister  and  some  of  his  people  to  request  you  to  spare  one 
gallon  of  wine  for  the  use  of  a  sacrament.  If  it  is  in  your 
power  to  supply  them  with  this  article,  I  make  no  doubt  you 
will  do  it,  as  it  cannot  be  obtained  in  any  other  place  in  this 
country.     Mr.  Douglass  or  the  bearer  will  apply  for  it.4 

1  Mostly  from  that  part  which  afterward  became  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

2  Ohio  county,  Virginia,  included,  at  this  date,  the  whole  of  the  territory 
now  in  West  Virginia  known  as  "  the  Pan-handle,"  and  a  considerable  area 
to  the  south  of  it. 

3  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1782,  was  bounded  north  by  the 
Ohio  river,  east  by  the  Monongahela,  south  and  west  by  Virginia.  All  of 
Pennsj'lvania  west  of  the  Laurel  Hill  not  included  within  those  boundaries 
constituted  Westmoreland  county,  at  that  date  (ante,  p.  50);  but  Fayette 
county  was  formed  from  the  latter  the  next  j-ear. 

4  No  doubt  the  wine  was  sent  if  the  general  had  it  to  spare.  He  was  ex- 
ceedingly accommodating  to  the  country  people  as  well  as  to  the  citizens  of 
Pittsburgh.  His  watchful  care  over  the  rights  of  the  latter,  when  in  the  least 
intruded  upon  by  the  soldiery,  the  following  petition  and  order  will  show: 

PJ 

"  Pittsburgh,  May  29,  1782. 
"The  humble  petition  of  a  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Pitts- 
burgh most  humbly  boggeth:  That  your  honor  will  be  pleased  to  take  it  into 
consideration,  that  several  of  the  officers,  and  soldiers  of  this  town  have  of 
late  made  a  constant  practice  in  playing  at  long  bullets  in  the  street  that 
goes  up  by  the  br  w-house  and  that  a  number  of  children  belonging  to  us, 
who  are  dwellers  on  the  same  street,  are  in  danger  of  their  lives  by  the  said 
ovil  practices, —  we  therefore  hope  (since  we  have  no  civil  magistrate  to  apply 


Ajipendix  J.  291 


XL — Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

June  11,  1782. 
Dear  /Sir: — This  moment  came  to  hand  the  enclosed  letter,1 
by  which  you  will  learn  the  unhappy  fate  of  our  little  army 
[under  Colonel  Crawford].  What  the  consequences  may  be, 
God  only  knows.  I  would  fondly  hope  that  matters  are  not 
quite  so  bad  as  they  are  represented;  as   men  who  quit  an 

to)  that  your  honor  will  condescend  to  put  a  stop  to  such  practices  in  the 
street,  by  your  own  special  orders.  And  by  your  honor's  endeavors  we  are 
forever  bound  to  pray  and  shall  forever  remain,  sir,  your  honor's  most  obedient, 
humble  servants  to  serve.  [Signed]  John  Bradley,  Thomas  Girty  [brother  of 
Simon],  William  Brady,  John  Jewry,  James  McLelland.  [Directed]  To  the 
Hon.  Wm.  Irvine,  Esq.,  Brig.  Gen.  Com.  W.  D." 

[II.] 

"Fort  Pitt,  May  31,  1782. 

"  Sundry  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Pittsburgh  having  petitioned  General 
Irvine  to  prohibit  the  officers  and  soldiers  from  playing  long  bullets  in  the 
streets  and  set  forth  the  great  danger  the  lives  of  the  children  are  in,  by  such 
practices, —  he,  therefore,  in  the  most  express  terms  forbids  it  being  done  in 
future.  At  the  same  time,  he  thinks  it  a  favorable  occasion  to  recommend  to 
the  troops  not  to  incommode  or  disturb  the  people  of  the  town  with  their  com- 
pany too  frequently.  They  can  find  other  places  and  modes  to  amuse  them- 
selves than  in  dram  shops,  which,  in  the  end,  will  be  pleasanter  and  more 
advantageous." 

1  The  letter  received  by  Marshel  was  as  follows : 

"Cross  Creek  Mills,  11th  June,  1782. 

"Sir: — Last  night  nine  men  arrived  at  the  Mingo  Bottom  [on  the  east  side 
of  the  Ohio  river],  who  give  us  the  disagreeable  news  of  our  army  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Crawford  being  defeated  on  Tuesday  last  about  one  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  upper  Sandusky  town.  They  attacked  our  men  about 
twelve  o'clock  [Tuesday,  June  4th].  The  battle  lasted  until  Wednesday  night. 
On  Tuesday,  they  killed  four  of  our  men  and  wounded  about  twenty.  On 
Wednesday  they  did  but  little  damage,  but  were  re-enforced  by  a  great 
number  of  Indians.  Wednesday  night,  our  men  left  the  ground,  and  Thurs- 
day in  the  afternoon  were  attacked  again,  when  the  nine  men  quit  the  army 
in  the  beginning  of  the  battle  and  cannot  tell  how  it  went.  They  were  in 
distress  for  victuals,  and  I  expect  they  will  all  be  in  want  that  have  the  luck 
to  return. 

"  Sir,  I  have  written  in  haste  and  confusion.     From  your  humble  servant, 

"  Edmond  Polke,  Major  4th  Battalion. 

"P.  S. —  Sir,  please  to  send  some  men  to  our  fort  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I 
fear  it  will  break.    To  Col.  J.  Marshel  [and]  Col.  Wm.  Coverly." 


..'.'' .'  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

army  in  time  of  action  generally  represent  matters  worse  than 
they  really  are,  in  order  to  save  their  own  credit.  Besides, 
the  event  of  the  battle  on  Thursday,  is  not  yet  known  to  us.1 

1  Six  days  after  the  date  of  the  above  letter,  Dorsey  Pentecost  wrote  to  Gov- 
ernor Moore  of  Pennsylvania  as  follows,  concerning  the  information  gleaned 
by  him  of  the  expedition  against  Sandusky: 

"  Washington  County,  June  17th,  1782. 

"Dear  Sir: — By  a  person  who  is  now  here,  on  his  way  to  the  head  of  Elk, 
I  have  just  time  to  tell  you  that  on  the  25th  of  last  month  478,  some  say  488 
men,  mounted  on  horses,  set  out  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Crawford, 
for  Sandusky.  They  were  discovered  at  the  Muskingum  [Tuscarawas],  and 
from  th  ire,  all  the  way  out,  spies  were  kept  on  them.  The  Sandusky  people 
collected  the  Shawanese  and  the  light  dragoons  from  the  British  posts,  be- 
tween Sandusky  and  the  post  at  Detroit.  They  attacked  our  people  in  the 
plains  of  Sandusky,  near  the  Sandusky  river,  Tuesday  was  a  week  last.  The 
battle  continued  two  days.  The  first  day  was  very  close  and  hot  work,  the 
second  da}-  was  at  long  shot  only.  On  the  night  of  the  second  day,  our  people 
retreated,  and  the  Indians  broke  in  on  them  in  the  retreat  and  routed  them; 
however,  about  two  hundred  stuck  together  and  brought  oft'  all  the  wounded,  ex- 
cept three,  which  were  left  on  the  ground.  The  next  day,  the  Indians  attacked 
our  people  in  the  rear,  but  were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss  on  their  side. 
They  then  pursued  their  retreat  with  success  and  unmolested  to  the  Ohio.  I 
met  the  men  at  the  Mingo  bottom  [on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio]  last  Wednes- 
day [June  12th],  about  thirty-five  miles  from  my  house,  and  collected  the  in- 
formation I  send  you. 

"  There  are  about  twenty  wounded  (few  dangerous)  and  about  half  that 
number  killed.  There  are  a  good  many  missing,  amongst  whom  are  Colonel 
Crawford  and  a  number  of  other  valuable  men;  but  as  the  scattered  parties 
are  coming  in  daily,  I  have  hopes  of  them.  As  the  people  were  much  con- 
fused when  I  met  them,  I  could  not  get  the  information  requisite.  What 
little  1  got  was  from  Major  liose,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Irvine,  and  who 
went  as  aid  to  Colonel  Crawford.  I  hope  the  general  will  give  you  a  particu- 
lar account,  as  he  will  receive  it  from  the  major.  I  am  told  that  the  Indians 
w( .to  much  superior  to  our  people  [in  numbers];  that,  in  the  engagement, 
they  suffered  greatly;  and  that  Colonel  Crawford  strongly  recommended  to 
return  before  they  got  to  the  town,  alleging  that  our  people  were  too  weak 
[to  attack  the  enemy],  as  the  Indians  had  early  intelligence  of  their  coming; 
but  he  was  overruled  by  the  rest  of  the  officers.     .     .     . 

"Dorset  Pentecost." 

On  the  Gth  of  July  following,  Major  William  Croghan  of  the  Virginia  line 
wrote  from  Fort  Pitt  to  William  Davies,  Virginia  secretary  at  war,  as  follows, 
concerning  the  Sandusky  expedition: 

"  Dear  Colonel: —  .  .  .  About  six  weeks  ago  five  hundred  volunteers  of 
this  country  commanded  by  (our  old)  Colonel  William  Crawford  went  on  an 
expedition  against  the  Indian  towns.    The  men  were  cowardly;  no  more  than 


Appendix  J.  293 

I  shall  be  as  expeditious  as  possible  in  raising  a  party  of  men 
to  secure  their  retreat  across  the  [Ohio]  river,  should  they  be 
pursued  so  far. 

about  one  hundred  having  fought  the  Indians,  who  came  out  from  their  towns 
to  meet  them  [this  is  an  error].  The  firing  continued  at  long  shot  with  rifles 
for  near  two  days.  The  second  evening  our  party  broke  off'  and  retreated  in 
the  most  disorderly  manner.  Colonel  Crawford  and  a  few  others,  finding  the 
men  would  pay  no  attention  to  orders,  were  going  on  coolly  in  the  rear,  leav- 
ing the  road  in  case  the  Indians  should  pursue,  until  the  second  day,  when 
they  thought  they  might  venture  on  the  road;  but  before  they  had  marched 
two  miles,  a  body  of  Indians  fell  in  between  them  and  the  rear  of  the  party, 
and  took  them  prisoners. 

"We  had  no  certainty  of  this  unhappy  affair  until  yesterday,  when  Doctor 
Knight,  who  was  taken  with  Crawford,  came  into  the  garrison,  in  the  most 
deplorable  condition  man  could  be  in  and  be  alive.  He  says  that  the  second 
day  after  they  were  taken,  they  were  carried  to  an  Indian  town,  stripped 
and  then  blacked,  and  made  to  march  through  the  Indians,  when  men, 
women  and  children  beat  them  with  clubs,  sticks,  fists,  etc.,  in  the  most  cruel 
manner. 

"  Colonel  Crawford  and  the  doctor  were  confined  together  all  night.  The 
next  day,  they  were  taken  out,  blacked  again,  and  their  hands  tied  behind 
their  backs,  when  Colonel  Crawford  was  led  by  a  long  rope  to  a  high  stake, 
to  the  top  of  which  the  rope  about  the  colonel  was  tied.  All  around  the 
stake  a  great  quantity  of  red  hot  coals  were  laid,  on  which  the  poor  colonel 
was  obliged  to  walk  barefoot,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Indians  firing  squibs 
of  powder  at  him,  while  others  poked  sticks  (on  fire)  into  every  part  of  his 
body;  thus  they  continued  torturing  him  for  about  two  hours,  when  he  begged 
of  Simon  Girty,  a  white  renegade,  who  was  standing  by,  to  shoot  him,  when 
the  fellow  said,  '  don't  you  see  I  have  no  gun?'  Some  little  time  after  this 
they  scalped  him,  and  struck  him  on  the  bare  skull  several  times  with  sticks, 
and  being  nearly  exhausted  he  lay  down  upon  the  burning  embers,  when  the 
squaws  put  shovelfuls  of  coals  on  his  body,  which,  dying  as  he  was,  made 
him  move  and  creep  a  little;  the  doctor  was  obliged  to  stand  by  to  see 
this  cruelty  performed. 

"  When  the  colonel  was  scalped  they  slapped  the  scalp  over  the  doctor's 
face,  saying  this  is  your  great  captain's  scalp;  to-morrow  we  will  serve  you 
so.  The  doctor  was  to  be  served  in  the  same  manner  in  another  town  some 
distance  off  (from  this  place),  and  on  his  way  to  his  place  of  torment  he 
passed  by  the  place  where  Colonel  Crawford's  dead  body  had  been  dragged 
to  and  burned,  and  where  he  saw  his  bones.  The  doctor  was  guarded  by  but 
one  Indian.  On  the  way,  the  Indian  wanted  a  fire  made  and  he  untied  the 
doctor,  ordering  him  to  make  it;  the  doctor  appeared  willing  to  obey,  was 
collecting  wood  till  he  got  a  good  chunk  in  his  hand  with  which  he  gave  the 
Indian  so  severe  a  blow  as  leveled  him.  The  Indian  sprung  up,  but  seeing  the 


Wlf,  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XII. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

June  11,  1782. 
Sir: —  Since  morning  I  have  been  riding  through  thecoun- 
try  in  order  to  raise  men,  but  find  a  general  scarcity  of  arms 
and  ammunition;  therefore  request  you  may  dispatch  by  water 
such  quantity  of  both  as  you  may  think  necessary,  especially 
ammunition. 


XIII. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

From  Mr.  Douglass',  June  15,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  On  my  way   to  this  place  I  met  with  Mr. 
Ormsby,1  who  informs  me  that  Mr.    [Alexander]   McClean, 

doctor  seize  his  gun  ran  away;  the  doctor  could  not  get  the  gun  off,  otherwise 
would  have  shot  the  Indian. 

"  The  doctor  steered  through  the  woods,  and  arrived  here  the  twenty-first 
day  after  he  left  the  Indian,  having  no  clothes.  The  gun  being  wood-bound, 
he  left  it  after  carrying  it  a  few  days.  For  the  twenty-one  days,  and  two  or 
three  more  while  under  sentence  of  death,  he  never  ate  anything  but  such 
vegetables  as  the  woods  afforded.  None  of  the  prisoners  were  put  to  death 
but  those  that  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Delawares,  who  say  they  will  show 
no  mercy  to  any  white  man,  as  they  [the  white  men]  would  show  none  to 
their  friends  and  relations,  the  religious  Moravians.  I  believe,  I  have  not  told 
you  that  the  whole  of  the  five  hundred  who  went  out  with  Crawford  returned 
except  about  fifty.  W.  Crogiian. 

"[P.  S.]  —  Colonel  Harrison  and  Mr.  William  Crawford,  relations  of  Col- 
onel Crawford,  were  likewise  taken  prisoners,  but  fortunately  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Shawanese,  who  do  not  kill  their  prisoners  [afterward,  they 
were  tortured  to  death  by  the  Delawares]." 

1  John  Ormsby  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  He  had  served  some  time  in  the 
British  army;  was  subsequently  a  teacher;  had  traveled  in  several  of  the 
provinces,  but  finally  came  to  Pittsburgh  under  Forbes,  and  helped  build  Fort 
Pitt.  He  was  an  industrious,  enterprising  man,  and  kept  the  first  ferry  over 
the  Monongahela.  He  was  in  Pittsburgh  during  Pontiac's  war  and  lost 
heavily,  being  then  engaged  in  trade  with  the  Indians.  His  epitaph  is  a  con- 
densed biography  of  the  man.     It  reads  as  follows: 

"  On  the  19th  day  of  December,  A.  D.  1805,  the  remains  of  the  venerable 
John  Ormsby,  aged  85  years,  was  interred,  agreeably  to  his  desire,  with  the 
ashes  of  his  beloved  wife  [in  Trinity  churchyard,  Pittsburgh],  Mr.  Ormsby 
may  truly  be  styled  the  patriarch  of  the  western  Ormsbys.  He  migrated  to 
Fort  Duquesne  about  the  time  the  British  took  possession  of  it,  at  which  time 


Appendix  J.  £95 

Colonels  [Christopher]  Hays  and  [Benjamin]  Davis,  have 
actually  failed  in  running  the  line  on  account  of  a  party  of 
Virginians  (as  they  called  themselves)  making  a  little  parade 
at  a  distance.  This  opposition  no  doubt  will  increase  and 
their  party  become  formidable  if  the  line  is  not  extended  im- 
mediately and  I  should  be  afraid  to  attempt  it  again  with  mi- 
litia. But  if,  with  propriety,  you  can  send  twenty  or  thirty  of 
your  troops  under  command  of  an  officer  well  affected  to  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  I  shall  raise  such  number  of  militia 
as  will  be  necessary  to  protect  Mr.  McClean  in  the  execution 
of  his  office.1 


XIV. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  June  21,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  Your  favor  of  the  17th  I  have  received.  I 
thought  to  have  been  in  Fort  Pitt  to-morrow  on  purpose  to 
meet  with,  or  hear  from  Mr.  [Alexander]  McClean,  that  some 
plan  might  be  laid  to  extend  the  line;  but  it  appears  to  me 
clearly  from  your  letters,  that,  as  a  continental  officer,  you  can- 
not interfere  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  artist  on  the  part 
of  Virginia;  therefore,  I  have  given  over  the  matter  at  present, 
or  until  a  representation  is  made  to  the  executive  of  this  state; 
which,  I  am  informed,  is  already  done  by  Colonel  [Edward] 
Cook,  [Christopher]  Hays  and  McClean;  or,  rather,  that  they, 

he  was  commissary  of  provisions  and  paymaster  of  disbursements  for  the 
erection  of  Fort  Pitt.  Subsequently  he  entered  largely  into  the  Indian  trade, 
and,  in  the  year  1763,  was  plundered  of  all  his  prop3rty,  his  people  murdered, 
and  himself  shut  up  in  Fort  Pitt  during'  the  siege.  Mr  Ormsby  was  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  Indian  grant  ["Indiana'.'],  which  would  have  remunerated 
him  from  all  losses  by  the  Indians,  had  not  the  revolution  taken  place.  Not- 
withstanding, he  was  a  staunch  whig  and  gloried  in  our  independence." 

1  This  proposition  Irvine  declined  for  excellent  reasons,  given  in  a  letter  to 
Moore  by  the  general,  July  5,  1782  (ante,  p.  248).  Marshel  was  expressly 
authorized  by  Pennsylvania  to  order  out  as  many  of  the  militia  as  McClean 
might  judge  necessary  for  guards  to  the  commissioners  while  running  the 
temporary  line.  Thus  far,  however,  aid  had  only  been  asked  of  Westmore- 
land county,  as  Washington  had  sent  so  many  of  her  men  under  Crawford 
against  Sandusky. 


296  IVashington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

together  with  some  others,  met  at  Colonel  Cook's1  a  few  days 
ago  for  that  purpose.  But  I  am  afraid  they  are  not  so  well 
acquainted  with  the  conduct  of  some  of  the  principal  ring- 
leaders as  perhaps  some  others  are,  which,  as  you  observe, 
would  be  necessary  to  be  known. 

I  make  no  doubt  they  have  urged  the  necessity  of  Virginia 
being  called  upon  to  appoint  a  commission  that  will  go  into 
the  business;  but,  as  the  saying  is,  in  order  to  put  the  saddle 
on  the  right  horse  and  that  government  may  be  better  in- 
formed, I  shall  take  some  trouble  in  procuring  such  deposi- 
tions as  may  be  thought  necessary  to  throw  light  on  the  subject. 
One  I  have  already  obtained,  a  copy  of  which  (for  your  private 
satisfaction)  is  inclosed.  I  expect  to  have  a  number  more  of 
the  same  nature  in  a  few  days.  Before  I  transmit  them  to 
council,  or  make  any  representation,  I  shall  wait  upon  you  at 
Fort  Pitt,  as  soon  as  I  am  prepared. 

Captain  Cunningham  with  two  classes  militia  of  the  2d 
battalion  will  rendezvous  at  Mr.  Ormsby's  the  22d  instant. 
You  will  please  to  order  them  such  quantity  of  ammunition  as 
you  may  think  proper,  as  it  will  be  inconvenient  to  supply 
them  from  the  Mingo  Bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio]. 
These  two  classes  are  designed  for  the  two  upper  stations  on 
the  river,  and  are  rendezvoused  at  Mr.  Ormsby's  on  purpose 
to  escort  the  provision  to  their  respective  stations.  I  wrote 
to  Captain  [Thomas]  Parkison  some  time  ago  to  have  the  pro- 
vision ready  at  the  time  and  place  of  rendezvous,  which  I 
expect  he  will  do. 

P.  S. —  Kot  having  time  at  present  to  take  a  cop}-,  I  have 
sent  the  original  deposition,  which  you  will  please  to  preserve 
until  the  rest  are  collected. 


XV. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  June  24,  1782. 
Sir: — Your  letter  by  express  I  have  just  now  received  and 
am  astonished  at  the  conduct  of  Captain  Cunningham.     I  see 

1  For  the  locution  of  Col.  Edward  Cook's  house,  see  Appendix  K, —  note  to 
<irst  letter. 


Appendix  J.  297 

no  other  remedy  but  to  call  upon  the  same  men  to  rendezvous 
again,  which  I  have  directed  Captain  Cunningham  to  do,  and 
appointed  Saturday,  the  29th  inst.,  for  the  rendezvous  at  Mr. 
Ormsby's;  which  I  apprehend  is  as  soon  as  they  can  be  col- 
lected. I  conceive  neither  Captain  Cunningham  nor  any  of 
the  party  can  have  the  remotest  thought  of  being  excused 
a  tour  of  duty  on  account  of  any  service  they  have  already 
done;  therefore  I  will  depend  upon  them  serving  this  tour. 


XVI. —  Marsiiel   to  Irvine. 

Friday  Morning,  July  2,  17S2. 
Sir: — By  different  expresses  from  Colonels  [William] 
Parker1  and  [David]  Williamson,  I  am  informed  with  certainty 
that  the  enemy  at  Glenn's  Bottom  have  crossed  over  the  river 
to  their  own  side;  that  the  party  first  discovered  at  the  Mingo 
Bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio],  continue  there.  I  am 
therefore  of  opinion  that  their  main  body  is  at  that  place. 
Colonel  Williamson  has  marched  to  Coxe's  fort,2  about  four 
miles  below  the  Mingo  Bottom,  at  which  place  I  have  directed 
him  to  stay  until  further  orders.  Colonel  [Thomas]  Crooks3 
is  gone  to  Wheeling.  I  have  also  directed  him  that  if  he  ap- 
prehended no  danger  in  leaving  that  post  for  a  few  days,  to 
form  a  junction  with  Colonel  Williamson.  To-morrow,  I  in- 
tend marching  whatever  men  may  rendezvous  in  this  quarter 
to  Richard  Well's  fort,  which  is  within  five  miles  of  the 
Mingo  Bottom,  at  which  place»I  intend  to  stay,  if  circum- 
stances will  admit,  until  I  hear  from  you;  and  shall  expect,  if 
you  think  it  necessary,  that  a  number  of  your  troops  will 
march  to  our  assistance  as  soon  as  possible. 

1  Col.  Parker  was,  at  that  date,  a  sub-lieutenant  of  Washing-ton  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

2  Coxe's  fort  was  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  Wellsburgh,  county-seat  of 
Brooke  county,  West  Virginia, —  in  the  "Pan-handle." 

3  Crooks,  at  this  date,  was  colonel  of  the  fifth  battalion  of  Washington 
county  militia.  He  was  a  resident  of  Bethlehem  township,  that  county,  and 
a  justice  of  the  peace  therein. 


298  Washington-Irvine   Correspondence. 


XVII. —  Makshel  to  Irvine. 

Catfish,  July  4, 1782. 

Sir: — Repeated  application  has  been   made  to  me  by  the 

inhabitants  on    the  south  line  of  this  county,  namely:  from 

Jackson's  fort1  to  Buffalo  creek,2  and  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know 

what  to  do.3   The  people  declare  they  must  immediately  aban- 

1  This  fort  was  a  short  distance  southwesterly  from  the  present  Waynes- 
burgh,  county-town  of  Greene  county,  Pennsylvania.  It  was  then  in  Wash- 
ington county,  the  former  being  set  off  from  the  last  mentioned  county  in 
1796. 

-  Buffalo  creek  rises  in  what  is  now  East  Findley  township,  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  flowing  westerly  into  the  Ohio. 

3  The  following  petitions,  sent  to  Irvine  by  citizens  of  Washington  and 
Westmoreland  counties,  show,  in  a  clear  light,  the  dangers  and  trials  of  the 
borders  from  the  time  of  his.first  meeting,  at  Fort  Pitt,  with  the  field  officers 
of  the  militia  and  some  of  the  principal  citizens  of  the  west,  to  the  1 1th  of 
July,  1782: 

[I-] 
"To  the  Honorable  General  Irvine,  commandant  on  the  western  waters: 

"  Your  humble  petitioners  showing  forth  our  situation  since  the  year  1777, 
that  we  have  lived  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  We  were  in  great  hopes  that  your 
honor  would  have  supported  us  that  we  could  have  lived  at  our  own  homes; 
but  lately,  learning  that  the  station  is  evacuated,  we  expect  nothing  else  but 
that  the  Indians  will  be  immediately  amongst  us.  Therefore,  we,  the  sub- 
scribers, have  met  this  day  at  the  house  of  John  McDonald.  At  the  risk  of 
our  lives  and  fortunes,  with  the  assistance  of  Almighty  God,  we  are  deter- 
mined to  make  a  stop  here  the  ensuing  summer.  We  look  upon  it  prudent 
to  use  the  means  as  well  as  prayers.  Therefore,  sir,  to  you  we  look  for  aid 
and  assistance,  as  we  are  but  few  in  number,  not  able  to  repel  the  enemy. 
Therefore,  we  look  to  you  for  men,  ammunition  and  arms. 

"  We  know  that  provision  is  scarce,  therefore  we  will  find  the  men  that  ai-e 
sent  to  us,  only  allowing  us  rations-pay.  The  number  of  men  we  request  is 
ten.  McDonald,  last  Tuesday,  waited  on  Colonel  James  Marshel,  our  county 
lieutenant,  requesting  him  for  some  assistance  of  men,  powder  and  lead.  His 
answer  was  he  could  not  furnish  him  with  either. 

"Sir: — We  understand  that  George  Vallandigham  is  to  sit  in  council  with 
you  to-morrow,  who  was  a  sufferer  as  well  as  we,  and  has  lately  left  his  place 
of  abode  and  took  his  refuge  near  Colonel  [John]  Canon's.  Pray,  sir,  ask  of 
him  our  present  situation.  [Signed]  Wm.  Littell,  Joshua  Meeks,  John  Robb, 
.l.iiiiis  Littell,  James  Baggs,  John  Hull,  Thomas  Moon,  John  McDonald, 
John  Reed,  Wm.  And  i 

"X.  P. —  The  situation  of  McDonald's  place  is  pleasant,  lying  and  being 
on  a  kn-jll  or  advantageous  piece  of  ground  for  any  garrison.     We  the  sub- 


Appendix  J.  %99 

don  their  habitations  unless  a  few  men  are  sent  to  them  dur- 
ing harvest.     They  also  declare  their  willingness  to  submit  to, 

scribers  observing'  that  the  states  must  have  receiving  and  issuing  stores,  it  is 

our  opinion  that  according  to  McDonald's  promise,  we  think  it  the  best  place 

for  said  stores.     McDonald's  promises  are  that  the  states  shall  have,  without 

cost,  his  still-house,  hogsheads,  his  cellar  under  his  new  house,  together  with 

the  lowest  story  of  his  spring  house,  without  price  or  fee  to  the  states.     We 

have  appointed  Joshua  Meeks  and  John  McDonald  to  lay  our  petitions  before 

your  honor.     April  5,  1782." 

PL] 

"  JonN  Doddridge's  Station,  April  20,  1782. 
"  To  his  excellency,  General  William  Irvine,  commander  of  the  western 
department. 

"Sir: — The  dangerous  situation  that  our  frontiers  at  present  seem  to  be  in 
obliges  us,  your  humble  petitioners,  to  beg  for  your  assistance  at  such  a  diffi- 
cult time  as  it  now  is.  Our  case  is  such  as  follows,  namely :  We,  the  inhabit- 
ants near  Mr.  Alexander  Wells'  mill,  are  very  unhandy  to  any  other  mill 
and  daily  open  to  the  rage  of  a  savage  and  merciless  enemy,  notwithstanding 
the  great  care  that  hath  already  been  taken  for  our  safety  by  placing  guards 
on  the  river.  The  inhabitants  that  live  near  enough  the  mill  to  fort  there  look 
upon  themselves  not  of  sufficient  force  to  guard  the  mill  and  carry  on  any 
labor  to  support  their  families.  They  will,  therefore,  undoubtedly  break  off", 
unless  your  excellency  will  please  to  grant  them  a  few  men  to  guard  the  mill. 
Unless  this  is  done  we  must  also  break  ground,  as  the  mill  is  not  only  our 
main  support  in  regard  to  bread  for  our  families,  but  likewise  in  furnishing 
us  with  flour  for  every  expedition  that  we  are  cnlled  to  go  upon.  Their  going 
off  will  expose  us  to  another  front  side  open.  Therefore,  we,  your  humble 
petitioners,  pray  that,  if  it  is  in  your  power  to  help  us  at  such  a  difficult  time, 
you  will  not  be  negligent  in  doing  as  much  as  possible.  [SignedJ  Samuel 
Teter,  Henry  Nelson,  James  Scott,  Philip  Doddridge,  Charles  Stuart,  John 
Comley,  Walter  Hill,  Benjamin  Pursle,  Morris  West,  Thomas  Shannon,  John 
Marical,  Michael  Hough,  Sen.,  John  Carpenter,  James  Newell,  William  Mc- 
Climans,  Aaron  Sackett." 

[On  the  same  day  a  like  petition  was  sent  in  from  the  following  persons 
living  near  Well's  fort —  George  Brown,  John  Baxter,  Matthew  Fouke,  Samuel 
Naylor,  John  Sappington,  Sen.,  John  Sappington,  George  Naylor,  and, 
on  the  next  day,  a  similar  one  from  the  following  persons  of  Hoghland's 
station,  near  Alexander  Well's  mill:  George  McColloch,  William  Logan, 
John  Biggs,  Benj.  Biggs,  Zach.  Biggs,  Charles  Hedges,  James  Andrews, 
Wm.  Harrison,  Sen.,  Nicholas  Rodgers,  Solomon  Hedges,  Joseph  Hedges, 
Silas  Hedges,  Joseph  Hedges,  Jr.,  Isaac  Meek,  Wm.  Bonar,  D.  Hoghland.] 

[III.] 
"To  his  excellency,  General    Irvine,  commander-in-chief    of    the  western 
department. 

"  Dear  Sir: — We,  the  inhabitants,  who  live  near  Mr.  Alex.  Wells'  mill,  being 
very  unhandy  to  any  other  mill,  and  daily  open  and  exposed  to  the  rage  of  a 


300  Washington- Irvine  Correspondence. 

and  supply  the  men  on  the  faith  of  government.  If  you  ap- 
prove of  sending  a  few  men  to  this  frontier,  you  will  please  to 

savage  and  merciless  enemy,  notwithstanding  the  great  attention  paid  by  the 
general  to  our  frontiers,  and  ordering  men  to  be  placed  on  the  river, — yet 
those  inhabitants  who  live  near  enough  the  mill  to  fort  there,  find  ourselves 
unable  to  guard  the  mill  and  carry  on  labor  for  the  support  of  our  families; 
and  so,  of  consequence,  cannot  continue  to  make  a  stand  without  some  assist- 
ance. And  it  is  clear  that  if  this  mill  is  evacuated  many  of  the  adjacent 
forts,  at  least  se.en  or  eight,  that  now  hope  to  make  a  stand,  must  give  up; 
as  their  whole  dependence  is  on  said  mill  for  bread  as  well  as  every  expedition 
from  these  parts.  And  scouting  parties  that  turn  out  on  alarms  are  supplied 
from  here.  Therefore,  we,  your  humble  petitioners,  pray  you  would  order  us 
a  few  men  to  guard  the  mill  —  so  valuable  to  many  in  these  parts  in  particu- 
lar and  the  country  in  general.  May  2,  1782.  [Signed]  James  Edgar,  Henry 
Graham,  D.ivi  I  Arance,  Arthur  Campbell,  Joseph  Vance." 

[Nine  days  after,  another  and  similar  petition  was  sent  in  from  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Charles  Wells'  and  other  stations  lying  near  Mr.  Alex.  Wells'  mill. 
It  was  signed  by  Charles  Wells,  Charles  Wells,  Sen.,  William  Hervey,  James 
Miller,  Henry  Hervey,  John  McCormick,  James  McGuire,  Baldwin  Pierson, 
David  Cox,  Francis  McGuire,  William  Sparks,  Geo.  McCoy,  Thomas  Smith. 
Another  of  like  tenor  was  sent  in  on  the  14th  of  May  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Mingo  Bottom  Fort  and  the  vicinity  of  Alex.  Wells'  mill.  It  was  signed  by 
Edmond  Police,  Richard  Elson,Edmond  Baxter,  William  West,  Jacob  Walter, 
Geo.  Otter,  Leonard  Head,  Zach.  Fowler,  John  Decker,  Luke  Decker.] 

[IV.] 
"  Washington  County,  Cross  Creek  Settlement,  May  18,  1782. 
"We,  your  petitioners,  have  been  several  weeks  in  actual  service  on  these 
waters  and  on  the  waters  of  Buffalo  creek  and  finding  the  distressed  situation 
of  the  frontier  inhabitants  by  the  daily  incursions  of  the  savages  which  we  are 
fully  of  opinion  the  river  guards  cannot  prevent,  and  as  there  are  nine  or  ten 
forts  that  are  constantly  depending  on  Alexander  Wells'  mill  for  grinding 
where  they  are  served  and  their  work  with  speed  dispatched,  we  are  entirely 
sensible  that  it  is  necessary  and  requisite  that  your  excellency  send  a  guard  of 
seven,  eight  or  nine  men,  to  be  stationed  at  said  mill  for  their  safety  and  to 
the  satisfaction  and  encouragement  of  the  forts  adjacent.  We,  your  petition- 
ers, do  reside  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  country,  though  at  present  in  the 
service  of  your  excellency  with  all  possible  punctuality.  [Signed]  Benjamin 
White,  captain;  Albert  Ramsey,  captain;  Nathan  Powel,  lieutenant.  To  his 
excellency,  Brig.  General  Irvine." 

fv.] 

"To  the  honorable  Brigadier  General  Irvine,  commanding  the  troops  in  the 

western  department. 

"  I'll''  petition  of  the  frontier  inhabitants  of  Brush  creek  most  humbly  show- 

eth: — That,  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  war,  the  unabated  fury 

of  the  savages  hath  been  so  particularly  directed  against  us,  that  we  are,  at 


Appendix  J.  301 

order  the  bearer  such  quantity  of  ammunition  as  you  may 
think  proper. 

last,  reduced  to  such  a  degree  of  despondency  and  distress  that  we  are  now 
ready  to  sink  under  the  insupportable  pressure  of  this  very  great  calamity. 
That  from  our  fortitude  and  perseverance  in  supporting  the  line  of  the  frontier 
and  thereby  resisting  the  incessant  depredations  of  the  enemy,  our  bravest 
and  most  active  men  have  been  cut  off  from  time  to  time,  by  which  our  ef- 
fective force  is  so  greatly  reduced  that  the  idea  of  further  resistance  is  now 
totally  vanished.  That  the  season  of  our  harvest  is  now  fast  approaching,  in 
which  we  must  endeavor  to  gather  in  our  scanty  crops,  or  otherwise  subject 
ourselves  to  another  calamity  equally  terrible  to  that  of  the  scalping-knife, — 
and  from  fatal  experience,  our  fears  suggest  to  us  every  misery  that  has  usu- 
ally accompanied  that  season.  That  we  are  greatly  alarmed  at  the  misfor- 
tune attending  the  late  excursion  to  the  enemy's  country  [Crawford's 
expedition  against  Sandusky] ;  as  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  their 
triumphs  upon  that  occasion  will  be  attended  with  fresh  and  still  more  vigor- 
ous exertions  against  us. 

"In  this  perilous  situation,  sir,  we  submit  our  case  to  your  consideration 
and  beg  that  it  may  be  applied  to  the  feelings  of  humanity  and  benevolence, 
which  we  firmly  believe  you  possess.  Wherefore  we  humbly  pray  for  such  an 
augmentation  of  our  guard  through  the  course  of  the  harvest-season  as  will 
enable  them  to  render  us  some  essential  service.  But,  as  we  know  from  ex- 
perience that  no  certain  dependence  can  be  placed  on  the  militia  upon  these 
occasions,  as  some  failure  may  probably  happen  on  their  part  through  the 
course  of  the  season, —  and  as  we  have  hitherto  been  accustomed  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  continental  troops  during  the  harvest  season,  we  further  pray, 
that  we  may  be  favored  with  a  guard  of  your  soldiers,  if  it  is  not  inconsistent 
with  other  duties  enjoined  on  you.  But  particularly  we  pray,  that  what- 
ever guard  may  be  allotted  for  us  in  future,  may  be  ordered  into  the  inhabited 
stations  along  the  frontier,  where  they  can  be  of  service,  either  in  covering  our 
working- parties  in  the  fields,  or  protecting  our  defenseless  families  in  our  ab- 
sence. And  your  petitioners  as  in  duty  bound  shall  pray.  Brush  Creek,  June 
22,  1782." 

[This  petition,  so  unexceptionably  elegant  in  diction,  as  well  as  powerfully 
strong  and  clear  in  the  points  stated,  is  signed  by  nineteen  borderers,  mostly  Ger- 
mans. The  document  itself  is  in  a  bold  and  beautiful  hand.  It  would  be 
hard  to  find  in  all  the  revolutionary  records  of  the  west  a  more  forcible  state- 
ment of  border  troubles,  in  a  few  words,  than  this.] 

tVI-]  "July  14,  1782. 

"Sir: — We,  the  inhabitants  living  on  the  Alleghany  river,  being  much 
distressed  on  account  of  the  Indians,  cannot  get  our  harvest  in ;  and  our  grain 
is  now  suffering  on  that  account.  We  humbly  implore  your  honor,  if  it 
pleases  you,  to  assist  us  about  two  weeks  with  eight  or  ten  men  as  a  guard  for 
us  while  we  reap  and  gather  our  grain,  and  we  are  in  duty  bound  to  pray.  To 
Brigadier  General  Irvine,  commanding  officer."    [Names  torn  off  the  original.] 


302  Washlngton-I rviiie  Correspondence. 


XVIII.  —  Mabshel  to  Iryine. 

Washington  County,  July  17,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — Yours  of  the  15th  I  have  received  by  Mr. 
[Ebenezer]  Zane,  before  the  receipt  of  which  I  had  ordered  a 
draft  for  the  post  at  "Wheeling  and  directed  Colonel  [Thomas] 
Crooks  to  relieve  Colonel  [John]  Marshall,1  who  is  yet  at  that 
place,  although  I  believe  his  party  is  very  small  at  present. 
I  understand  few  or  none  of  the  class  ordered  on  duty  with 
Colonel  Crooks  is  gone  out,  but  that  they  are  associating  to 
oppose  taxation  and  prevent  the  sheriff  collecting  any  more 
delinquent  fines  in  that  quarter.  They  have  caused  some  of 
their  officers  to  resign  their  commissions  and  threaten  thtfse 
who  continue  to  act  with  tarring  and  feathering  if  they  call 
upon  them  for  any  more  militia  duty. 

Indeed  every  day  new  difficulties  arise  in  calling  out  the 
militia  of  this  county,  and  those  who  do  turn  out  on  their 
tours  behave  so  exceedingly  ill  that  I  am  many  times  put  to 
a  stand  to  know  what  to  do.  However,  it  will  not  do  to  give 
up  while  anything  can  be  done.  I  have,  therefore,  called  out 
another  class  for  that  post  and  expect  some  of  them  at  least 
will  be  there  in  a  few  days.  In  the  meantime,  I  have  directed 
Major  [William]  Pollock  to  send  a  few  of  the  militia  from 
the  Mingo  Bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio]  to  Fort 
Henry  until  the  last  draft  arrives. 

With  regard  to  the  meeting  you  recommend  between  Colo- 
nel [David]  Shepherd  and  myself,  I  apprehend  there  will  be 
no  necessity  for  it.  Colonel  Shepherd  appears  friendly  and 
well-disposed.  Neither  is  there  any  dispute  among  the  people 
as  far  as  Ohio  county  extends;  the  whole  of  the  opposition  is 
from  the  inhabitants  on  the  Monongahela  river,  who  can  have 
no  pretense  to  claim  protection  from  the  government  of  Vir- 
ginia, nor  do  I  believe  they  are  countenanced  by  any  officer  of 
that  government.  I  rather  think  they  are  encouraged  by  the 
new  state  party. 

'John  Marshall,  colonel  4th  battalion,  of  Washington  county  militia,  was 
a  resident  of  Hopewell  township,  that  county,  a  man  of  influence  and  a 
relative  of  the  lieutenant  of  Washington  county. 


Appendix  J.  303 

lean  give  but  very  little  account  at  present  of  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  people  of  this  county  in  carrying  the  expedition 
[proposed  against  Sandusky,  this  time  to  be  commanded  by 
Irvine  in  person].  We  have  had  one  meeting  of  part  of  the 
officers  of  the  county,  at  which  I  informed  them  of  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  you  would  go  and  to  which  they  unanimously 
agreed,  and  seemed  very  anxious  to  carry  it  on  your  plan  or 
rather  the  plan  proposed  by  Westmoreland  people;  the  only 
difference  I  find  is,  about  the  time  of  rendezvous.  Those  of 
the  inhabitants  I  have  talked  with  on  the  subject  seem  to 
think  the  1st  of  August  rather  too  soon;  but  that  difficulty 
can  be  easily  removed  with  the  more  sensible  part  of  the  peo- 
ple; and,  in  order  to  come  as  near  the  time  proposed  as  possi- 
ble, I  have  appointed  the  1st  day  of  August  for  the  officers  to 
meet  at  Catfish  Camp  to  make  report  of  the  number  of  vol- 
unteers raised  and  equipped  in  their  respective  districts,  at 
which  meeting  (as  I  expect  it  will  be  general)  I  could  wish 
you  would  attend,  which  I  think  would  add  new  life  to  the 
expedition.  I  am  almost  certain  it  would  be  attended  with 
good  consequences.  It  will  also  be  a  good  opportunity  of  ex- 
posing the  narrowness  of  soul  of  those  who  prefer  their 
private  emolument  to  the  public  good.1 

Maj.  [William]  Pollock  this  day  informed  me  of  the  late 
expedition  against  Hannastown,2  etc.;  a  particular  account  of 
which  (as  I  received  it  from  him),  I  have  written  to  the  offi- 
cers of  this  county,  and  again  urged  the  necessity  of  an  expe- 
dition by  every  argument  that  appeared  to  have  any  weight. 
What  effect  it  may  have  I  know  not  at  present. 

If  a  like  stroke  is  made  upon  us  as  has  been  made  on  West- 
moreland, we  should  be  at  a  loss  for  ammunition;  and  if  you 
should  judge  it  proper  to  deposit  a  quantity  in  some  safe 
place  in  the  county,  I  shall  send  for  it  as  soon  as  I  known 
your  determination. 


1  Gen.  Irvine  visited  Catfish  either  on  that  day  or  just  before,  but  the  par- 
ticulars of  his  journey  are  wholly  unknown. 

5  That  is,  the  attack  on  that  place  by  the  enemy  (ante,  pp.  140,  note,  176, 
250). 


oOlf.  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


XIX. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

[No  date.]1 
Dear  Sir: —  Your  favor  of  the  ISth,  I  have  received.  I  am 
much  surprised  indeed  at  the  account  you  have  received  from 
[John]  Slover  [pilot  to  the  expedition  against  Sandusky].  The 
intelligence  he  gave  me  was  bad,  but  nothing  equal  to  what 
he  has  reported  to  you.  lie  told  me  that  the  Indians  expected 
we  would  carry  another  expedition  against  them  this  summer, 
and  that,  at  their  council,  they  had  determined  on  two  expe- 
ditions, one  of  which  was  designed  against  "Wheeling;  the 
other,  they  were  not  fully  determined  whether  this  country  or 
Kentucky  should  be  the  object;  that,  in  the  meantime,  they 
would  keep  out  spies  on  our  frontier  in  order  to  watch  our 
motions  and  take  a  prisoner  to  know  our  determination.  lie 
did  not  mention  a  word  to  me  either  of  their  number  or  of 
bringing  artillery.  He  said  the  Indians  informed  him  that 
the  night  our  people  left  the  field  at  Sandusky,  there  were 
some  British  troops  from  Detroit  within  a  few  miles  of  them 
(I  think  seven);  that  they  had  two  field  pieces  and  one  mortar. 
This  I  think  is  nearly  what  he  told  me  on  his  arrival.2     With 

1  The  above  letter  was  written  about  the  20th  of  July,  1782. 

s  John  Slover,  one  of  the  guides  upon  the  expedition  under  Crawford  against 
Sandusky,  after  his  arrival  on  the  frontier  and  while  on  his  way  to  Fort  Pitt, 
seems  to  have  had  an  interview  with  Marshel.  It  is  evident  also  from  the 
above  letter  that  what  he  told  him  was  in  brief  what  he  had  heard  and  seen 
in  the  wilderness  up  to  the  time  of  his  escape  from  the  savages  as  afterward 
given  more  fully  to  Irvine,  and  at  considerable  length  to  H.  II.  Bracken- 
ridge,  who  wrote  out  his  narrative  (ante,  p.  128,  note).  He  gave  to  the  lat- 
ter, however,  no  information  concerning  the  presence  of  British  troops  on  the 
Sandusky  (as  he  mentioned  to  Marshel  and  Irvine)  or  relative  to  artillery 
being  brought  so  near  the  battle  field;  at  least,  nothing  is  said  of  either  in  his 
published  account;  nevertheless,  his  relation  concerning  them  was  strictly 
true. 

The  following  from  "The  Short  Biography  of  John  Leeth  "  (pp.  15,  1G)  is, 
probably,  the  only  account  extant  of  incidents  transpiring  at  Upper  San- 
dosky  immediately  before  the  arrival  of  Crawford's  army;  it  has  information 
also  concerning  the  bringing  of  cannon  by  the  rangers: 

"The  spring  following,  I  was  married  to  a  young  woman,  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years  of  age,  also  a  prisoner  to  the  Indians,  who  had  been  taken  by 
them  when  about  twenty  months  old.  I  was  then  in  my  twenty-fourth  year. 
Our  place  of  residence  was  in  Moravian  Town  [( tnadenhuetten]  for  about  two 
years;  about  which  time  Col.  Williams  [Col.  Daniel  BrodheadJ,  an  American 


Appendix  J.  805 

regard  to  his  character,  I  am  altogether   unacquainted;   but  I 
think  there  is  reason  to  suspect  his  veracity.1     I  could  wish  he 

officer,  took  possession  of  Coshocton  [in  the  spring  of  1781];  and  shortly  after, 
the  British  and  their  Indian  allies  took  Moravian  Town,  with  me,  my  wife  and 
children,  and  all  the  Moravians,  prisoners  and  carried  us  to  [Upper]  Sandusky. 
"After  arriving  at  [Upper]  Sandusky,  the  British  would  not  Buffer  me  to 
trade  on  my  own  footing  and  for  myself ;  but  five  of  them  having  placed  their 
funds  into  one  general  stock,  employed  me  to  attend  to  their  business  for 
them;  and  two  of  them  being  my  old  employers,  they  gave  me  the  same 
wages  as  before.  Whilst  in  this  employ,  Cols.  Williams  [Williamson]  and 
Crawford  marched  with  an  army  against  Sandusky,  at  which  time  I  was 
closely  watched  by  the  Indians  and  had  to  make  my  movements  with  particu- 
lar regularity,  though  I  had  spies  going  to  and  fro  by  whom  I  could  hear  every 
evening  where  the  army  was  encamped,  for  several  days. 

"  One  evening  I  was  informed  the  army  was  only  fifteen  miles  distant  [near 
the  present  village  of  Wyandot,  Wyandot  county,  Ohio],  when  I  immediately 
sent  the  hands  to  gather  the  horses,  etc.,  to  take  our  goods  to  Lower  Sandusky. 
I  packed  up  the  goods  (about  £1,500  worth  in  silver,  furs,  powder,  lead,  etc.) 
with  such  agility  that  by  the  next  morning  at  daylight  we  started  for  Lower 
Sandusky.  I  also  took  all  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  company  along.  After 
traveling  about  three  miles,  I  met  Capt.  [Matthew]  Elliott,  a  British  officer; 
and,  about  twelve  miles  farther  on,  I  met  the  whole  British  arjny,  composed 
of  Col.  Butler's  Rangers  [a  company  from  Detroit,  under  the  command  of 
Capt.  William  Caldwell].    They  took  from  me  my  cattle  and  let  me  pass. 

"  That  night  I  encamped  about  fourteen  miles  above  Lower  Sandusky,  when, 
just  after  I  had  encamped  and  put  out  my  horses  to  graze,  there  came  to  my 
camp  a  man  who  was  a  French  interpreter  to  the  Indians  [Francis  Le  Vellier]. 
'Well,' said  he,  '  I  believe  I  will  stay  with  you  to-night  and  take  care  of 
you.'  I  told  him  he  could  remain  there  for  the  night,  but  I  intended  starting 
early  in  the  morning.  Next  morning,  after  we  had  got  our  horses  loaded 
ready  to  start  and  the  Frenchman  had  mounted  his  horse,  we  heard  a  cannon 
fire  at  Upper  Sandusky.  The  Frenchman  clapped  his  hand  to  his  breast  and 
said,  '  I  shall  be  there  before  the  battle  is  begun;'  but,  alas,  poor  fellow!  he 
got  there  too  soon.  Without  fear  or  any  thought  but  victory  he  went  on  to 
where  a  parcel  of  Indians  were  painting  and  preparing  for  battle;  put  on  a 
ruffled  shirt,  and  painted  a  red  spot  on  his  breast,  saying, — '  Here  is  a  mark 
for  the  Virginia  riflemen;'  and  shortly  after  marched  with  the  Indians  to 
battle,  where  in  a  short  time  he  received  a  ball  in  the  very  spot  and  died 
instantaneously. 

"  I  arrived  at  Lower  Sandusky  on  the  second  day,  and  remained  there  three 
days  to  hear  the  event.  At  length  the  Americans  under  Col.  Williams 
[Williamson]  stole  a  retreat  on  the  Indians  who  were  gathering  around  them 
in  great  numbers;  but  Col.  Crawford,  with  most  of  his  men  was  taken  by 
them.     They  tomahawked  all  his  men  and  burnt  him  alive." 

1  Slover's  character  was  that  of  an  honorable  man  as   already  explained 
(p.  129,  note). 
20 


30G  Washington-lrvi?ie  Correspondence. 

might  be  checked,  for  the  reports  he  spreads  in  the  country 
have  a  most  evil  tendency. 


XX. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

July  30,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  This  moment  came  to  hand  the  inclosed  circular 
letter.1  The  account  Mr.  [Samuel]  McColloch  gives,  no  doubt  is 
true;  therefore  I  have  directed  Colonel  [Matthew]  Ritchie, 
sub-lieutenant,  to  send  for  such  quantity  of  ammunition  as 
you  may  think  proper  to  spare.  The  timuly  intelligence  of 
the  enemy's  approach,  I  think  is  a  very  lucky  circumstance. 
The  frontier  forts  are  all  alarmed  as  far  as  the  Mingo  Bottom 
[on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio],  and  I  expect  by  this  evening 
we  shall  have  a  considerable  number  of  men  on  the  frontier. 
I  could  wish  this  alarm  might  not  prevent  the  proposed  meet- 
ing at  Cattish. 


XXI. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

Friday  Morning,  August  2,  1782. 

D^ar  Sir: — I  have  just  now  been  informed  by  express  that 
a  small  party  of  Indians  have  been  discovered  at  the  Mingo 
Bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio]  yesterday  morning;  that 
they  continue  about  the  fort,  and  that  a  party  (supposed  to  be 
large)  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  has  been  heard  cutting 
wood  both  above  and  below  the  fort;  that  some  of  their  party 
on  this  side  the  river  took  a  canoe  from  the  fort  last  night  and 
has  it  lying  in  view  on  their  own  shore. 

The  same  express  also  informs  me  that  the  trail  of  the  party 
which  crossed  at  Glenn's  bottom,  near  Wheeling,  has  been  dis- 
covered coming  into  the  settlement  up  Buffalo  creek.  They 
are  now  supposed  to  be  near  Ramsey's  fort. 

Although  I  have  not  yet  ascertained  with  certainty  either 
the  situation  of  the  enemy  or  of  our  militia,  yet  I  have 
thought  it  best  to  inform  you  of  the  circumstance,  as  perhaps 

1  From  Major  Samuel  McColloch.  See  Appendix  M,—  Bayard  to  McCleery, 
August  4,  1782,  note. 


Appendix  J.  307 

you  may  think  proper  to  move  down  the  river  as  far  as  the 
Mingo  Bottom  immediately.  Should  this  be  your  determina- 
tion, I  could  wish  to  be  informed  by  this  express.1 


XXII. —  Irvine  to  Marshel. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  10,  1782. 
Sir: —  An  address  was  handed  me  this  day  signed  by  the 
principal  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  on  the  waters  of  Buffalo 
and  Tenmile.2  Though  I  do  not  think  there  is  so  much  dan- 
ger as  they  apprehend,  yet,  if  they  run,  the  consequence  is  the 
same,  and  I  do  not  wish  any  more  breaches  made  in  the  settle- 
ments. I  hope  the  present  intelligence  will  soon  put  the  peo- 
ple into  better  spirits.  I  would  be  glad  to  countenance  every 
part  of  the  country,  and   think  a  little  time  will  persuade 

1  Irvine  complied  with  Marshel's  request.  On  Sunday  morning  following) 
he  marched  with  a  party  of  regulars  "toward  the  Mingo  Bottom."  See 
Appendix  M,—  Bayard  to  McCleery,  August  4,  178,2. 

2  Tenmile  creek  empties  into  the  Monongahela  on  the  left,  at  Millsboro, 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  following  is  the  address  referred 
to, —  the  original,  which  is  before  me,  being  in  the  beautiful  handwriting  of 
the  noted  Thaddeus  Dod: 

"Washington  County,  August  7,  1782. 
"May  it  please  your  honor: 

"  We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers  on  the  headwaters  of  Tenmile  and 
Buffalo  creeks,  in  the  county  of  Washington,  finding  our  dangers  and  dis- 
tresses still  increasing  upon  us  through  the  disorderly  state  of  our  public 
affairs  and  the  continual  alarms  from  the  encroachments  of  the  savages,  are 
driven  to  the  necessity  to  apply  to  you  and  humbly  to  implore  your  assistance. 

"  We  shall  not  pretend  to  dictate  to  you  as  to  the  manner  of  affording  us 
aid,  nor  shall  we  trouble  you  with  a  long  detail  of  our  calamities.  As  to  our 
circumstances,  we  shall  refer  you,  sir,  to  the  bearer  hereof  [Van  Swearingen], 
whom  we  confide  in  as  being  fully  acquainted  therewith.  We  are  not  insen- 
sible of  the  difficulties  of  granting  assistance  to  us,  which  arise  from  the 
opposition  to  the  lawful  authority  of  the  state,  but  as  we  have  ever  been  and 
still  desire  to  be  in  subjection  to  the  authority,  we  humbly  hope  and  re- 
quest that  we  might  not  be  indiscriminately  punished  for  the  faults  of  those 
who,  living  out  of  danger  themselves,  feel  not  the  necessity  of  proper  regula- 
tions in  our  country.  We,  therefore,  without  taking  up  any  more  of  your  at- 
tention, subscribe  ourselves,  sir,  your  most  humble  servants.  Thaddeus  Dod, 
David  Dille,  Patrick  Allison,  Demas  Lindsly,  Thomas  Atkinson,  John  Dickin- 
son, Samuel  Dickerson,  Samuel  Magon,  Jno.  Craig." 


Wash ington-Irvme  Correspondence. 

them  to  determine  on  remaining  on  their  places.  You  will 
therefore  call  out  one  officer  and  twenty  men,  to  range  on  that 
quarter  for  two  weeks  only  (for  the  present);  by  that  time  the 
people  will  be  able  to  get  in  their  grain  and  hay,  and  probably 
affairs  may  put  on  a  more  favorable  appearance.  I  should  be 
glad  for  several  reasons,  that  an  active,  good  officer  could  be 
ordered  on  this  service.  Captain  [Andrew]  Swearingen  will 
victual  them,  and  I  will  direct  Captain  [Thomas]  Parkison  to 
take  it  into  his  accounts.  The  officer  will  therefore  be  directed 
to  apply  to,  and  make  his  arrangements  with,  Captain  Swear- 
ingen respecting  provisions  and  ammunition. 


XXIII. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

*  Washington  County,  August  26,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — By  the  inclosed  resolutions  you  will  learn  the 
result  of  our  last  meeting  at  Catfish.1     The  meeting  was  gen- 
eral, and  the  officers  and  principal   inhabitants  who  met  on 

* . 

1  The  following  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting  gives  the  resolu- 
fcions  mentioned  by  Marshel: 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  officers  and  principal  inhabitants  of  Washington 
county,  at  Catfish  Camp,  on  Thursday,  the  22d  of  August,  1732,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  an  expedition  under  the  command  of  Brigadier  General 
Irvine  against  Sandusky  or  other  Indian  towns  bordering  on  our  frontier, 

"Resolved,  That  each  and  every  battalion  Washington  county  militia  shall 
furnish  fch9  quota  of  men,  provision  and  pack-horses  equipped  for  transpor- 
tation hereunto  annexed  to  each  and  every  battalion  respectively,  namely: 

Men.  Horses.  Eat  ions. 

1st  Battalion,  commanded  by  Col.  [Henry]  Enoch 61        22  3,600 

2d  "  "         "      "    [Geo.]  Vallandigham  165 

3d  "  "  "      "    [David]  Williamson.  140 

4th         "  "  "     "    [John]  Marshall....  140 

5th         "  "  "     "    [Thomas]  Crooks...   165 


62 

9,900 

53 

8,400 

53 

8,400 

62 

9,900 

671      252       40,200 


"  Resolved,  That  each  and  every  person  furnishing  200  rations  (each  ration 
to  consist  of  1)4  pounds  flour  and  1*4  pounds  beef)  and  delivering  the  same 
at  the  time  and  place  appointed  by  the  commanding  officer  of  each  battalion, 
shall  be  exempted  a  two  months'  tour  of  duty  under  the  law,  in  future,  in 
lieu  thereof  that  each  and  every  person  who  shall  deliver  a  good  pack-horse 


Appendix  J.  309 

the  occasion  were  unanimous  in  sentiment,  except  the  infa- 
mous   ,l  who  labored  all  his  might  to  set  aside  all  law 

and  government  and  depend  wholly  upon  the  virtue  of  the 
people  for  raising  and  equipping  this  county's  quota  of  men. 
However,  notwithstanding  all  his  and  other  designing  men's 
opposition,  I  have  no  doubt  of  raising  and  equipping  the  pro- 
posed number,  about  five  hundred  men  (perhaps  more),  and 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  rendezvous  at  such  place  as  you  may 
appoint,  by  the  15th  of  September,  which  will  be  as  soon  as 
the  people  of  this  county  can  possibly  be  in  readiness. 

fit  for  the  service,  properly  equipped  with  a  halter,  pack-saddle,  lashing-rope 
and  two  kegs,  or  one  good  bag,  and  delivering  the  same  as  aforesaid,  shall  in 
like  manner  be  exempted  a  tour  as  above  mentioned. 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  each  company  to  choose  three  good 
men  of  their  own  body  who  shall  be  empowered  to  assess  upon  each  and 
every  delinquent  person  not  furnishing  as  aforesaid  his  proportionable  share 
of  the  expense  of  what  provision  and  pack-horses  may  be  necessary,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  value  of  his  estate ;  and  in  case  the  company  being  legally 
called  should  refuse  to  choose  such  men,  then  the  captain  of  such  company 
shall,  with  the  delegate  elected  to  represent  them  in  the  council,  choose  the 
men  as  aforesaid;  and  when  there  is  no  representation,  then  in  that  case  the 
captain  shall  call  to  his  assistance  his  two  subaltern  officers  and  choose  as 
aforesaid;  provided,  the  same  is  effected  on  or  before  the  6th  day  of  Septem- 
ber next. 

"  Resolved,  That  if  any  of  the  said  horses  as  aforesaid  impressed  or  entered 
equipped  and  appraised,  and  proceeding  on  said  expedition,  be  lost  in  said 
service,  shall,  unless  paid  for  by  government  in  the  term  of  one  year,  be  paid 
by  the  company  in  proportion  to  their  estates. 

"  Resolced,  That  each  captain  keep  a  fair  account  of  each  and  every  per- 
son's subscription  of  provision  and  pack-horses  in  their  respective  districts ; 
also  a  duplicate  list  of  their  subscriptions  when  delivered  at  the  time  and 
place  appointed  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  battalion,  which  said  dupli- 
cate list,  or  a  certified  copy  thereof,  shall  be  forthwith  transmitted  to  the  lieu- 
tenant or  the  sub-lieutenant  of  the  district,  in  order  as  well  to  ascertain  the 
person  who  complies  with  his  subscription,  as  that  they  may  be  paid  for  or 
have  discount  with  government  for  the  same  in  the  present  or  future  taxes. 

"Resolved,  That  each  battalion  deposit  at  one  or  more  mills  in  their  re- 
spective district,  their  quota  of  wheat  on  or  before  the  6th  day  of  September 
next.     Signed  by  order  of  the  council,  James  Marsuel. 

"Test:  William  Pollock,  Clerk." 

1  This  name,  although  given  in  the  original  letter,  I  have  thought  best  to 
omit  in  this  connection.  The  language  of  Marshel  is  perhaps  stronger  than 
the  exigencies  of  the  case  demanded. 


310  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXIV. —  IllVINE    TO     MaRSHEL. 

Fort  Pitt,  August  27,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  Your  favor  of  yesterday  is  now  before  me. 
The  resolutions,  I  think,  are  very  well;  the  execution  is 
another  thing.  However,  I  trust  you  will  not  be  mistaken 
notwithstanding.  I  expect  you  will  furnish  me  with  accurate 
returns  of  men,  horses,  and  provision  the  soonest  [time]  pos- 
sible, that  I  may  actually  depend  on  being  assembled  at  the 
general  rendezvous  on  the  day  I  shall  appoint.  I  presume 
you  will  be  able  to  furnish  me  with  these  returns  on  the  8th 
of  September  at  farthest,  for,  after  that  date,  there  will  be  full 
little  time  for  my  orders  to  circulate,  appointing  time  and 
place.  My  final  determination  and  orders  shall  therefore  de- 
pend on  them.  The  15th  will  be  late,  but  if  you  cannot  be 
ready  before,  it  must  do.  I  expect  [the  lieutenant  of  West- 
moreland county]  Colonel  [Edward]  Cook's  returns  this 
night  or  to-morrow.  I  wrote  you  by  Captain  [John]  Hughes 
yesterda}',  by  which  you  will  perceive  I  was  apprised  of  the 
opposition  you  mention. 

XXV. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  August  29,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: —  Your  favors  of  the  26th  and  27th  inst.  I  have 
received,  and  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  opinion  re- 
specting the  plan  for  raising  and  equipping  our  quota  of  men 
in  this  county.  I  perceive  you  have  been  apprized  of  the 
opposition  we  have  met  with  and  that  the  account  you  had  by 
report,  of  the  resolutions  entered  into  by  the  officers  and  prin- 
cipal people  of  this  county,  was  not  altogether  true.  Not- 
withstanding the  plan  is  not  so  clearly  and  fully  expressed  in 
the  resolves  as  I  could  wish,  yet,  if  it  is  well  executed,  it  will 
do;  and  at  present  I  have  no  more  doubt  of  its  being  carried 
into  effect  (at  least  so  far  as  will  answer  the  end)  than  I  have 
of  my  own  existence.  It  may  be  that  I  am  too  sanguine  in 
my  expectations;  but  I  am  willing  to  leave  the  general  ren- 
dezvous to  determine  whether  the  gentlemen  opposing  or  those 
executing  the  plan  have  the  most  inllucnce  in  the  county. 


Appendix  J.  311 

I  have  not  only  directed  the  field  officers  to  appoint  the 
place  of  rendezvous;  [to  name]  suitable  persons  to  superin- 
tend the  pack-horses,  stock,  flour,  assistant  drivers,  etc.;  and 
to  make  returns  on  the  7th  of  September  of  the  number  of 
men,  horses  and  rations  that  may  be  depended  upon  in  their 
respective  districts:  but  have  also  appointed  the  13th  of 
September,  for  their  assembling  as  aforesaid,  with  every  ap- 
paratus for  the  campaign  (except  salt),  and  to  hold  themselves 
in  readiness  to  march  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  to  the  gen- 
eral rendezvous  which  I  considered  you  would  not  appoint 
later  than  the  15th,  and  that  the  people  of  this  county  could 
not  possibly  be  called  to  a  general  rendezvous  before  that  time. 

The  returns  you  require  shall  be  transmitted  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. All  the  companies  in  Colonels  [David]  Williamson 
and  [John]  Marshall's  battalions  that  I  have  heard  from  have 
raised  the  full  quota  of  men,  pack-horses  and  provision  as- 
signed them:  I  expect  the  others  will  do  the  same. 

1  do  not  know  whether  you  have  thought  how  the  men  on 
the  expedition  are  to  be  supplied  with  salt  and  camp  kettles; 
for  my  part,  I  have  not  till  lately;  —  the  latter,  in  my  last 
order  to  the  field  officers,  I  have  mentioned,  and  requested 
them  to  procure  as  'many  as  possible:  the  former  I  durst  not 
mention  for  fear  of  disaffecting  the  people,  although  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary,  and  it  cannot  be  got  by  any  other  means. 

We  must  yet  call  upon  the  different  companies  to  supply 
themselves  with  that  article;  but,  if  possible,  let  it  be  done 
some  other  way. 

Captain  [John]  Hughes  informs  me  you  require  a  troop  of 
light  horse  from  this  county  to  consist  of  forty-five  or  fifty 
men;  I  have  thereupon  assigned  each  battalion  its  quota,  and 
ordered  them  to  be  raised  and  equipped.  If  you  have  no  ob- 
jection, I  propose  that  Captain  Hughes  and  his  officers  take 
command  of  them  during  the  expedition. 

I  have  been  thinking  of  some  suitable  persons  to  be  ap- 
pointed superintendents  general  of  the  pack-horses,  etc.,  but 
cannot  yet  fix  my  judgment.  It  is  likely  at  the  general  ren- 
dezvous I  shall  be  better  able  to  give  my  opinion  with  regard 
to  these  appointments. 


312  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence, 


XXYI. —  Maeshel  to  Ieitne. 

Thursday,  September  12,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: —  By  an  express  this  moment  arrived  from 
Wheeling  I  have  received  the  following  intelligence,  namely: 
that  a  large  trail,  by  supposition  about  two  hundred  Indians, 
was  discovered  yesterday  about  three  o'clock  near  to  that  place. 
Captain  Boggs  who  brought  the  account  says  that  when  he 
bad  left  the  fort  about  one  mile  and  a  half  he  heard  the 
swivel  at  Wheeling  fired  and  one  rifle.  He  further  says  that 
Ebenezer  McCollocb  from  Vanmeter's  fort,1  on  his  way  to 
Wheeling  got  within  half  a  mile  of  the  place  shortly  after 
Boggs  left  it  where  he  was  alarmed  by  hearing  a  heavy  and 
constant  fire  about  the  fort,  and  makes  no  doubt  the  fort  was 
then  attacked.2 

BosrffS  is  now  £one  into  the  settlements  to  alarm  the  inhab- 
itants  and  I  am  afraid  will  injure  the  expedition.  As  we 
have  had  so  many  false  alarms  this  summer,  I  cannot  think  of 
making  much  ado  about  the  present,  until  the  truth  of  it  is 
known  with  certainty.  Notwithstanding,  I  should  be  inexcusa- 
ble in  not  giving  you  the  account  as  I  have  received  it. 

From  what  I  can  learn  the  people  of  this  county  are  mak- 
ing every  preparation  in  their  power  for  the  expedition,  and  I 
believe  nothing  will  prevent  us  from  raising  and  equipping 
nearly  our  quota,  if  the  present  alarm  does  not.  As  the  time 
your  last  order  had  to  circulate  was  very  short,  it  is  likely  the 
men  will  not  be  all  collected  to  the  general  rendezvous  before 
the  19th.  If  anything  material  occurs  on  the  frontier  you 
may  expect  the  earliest  intelligence  in  my  power. 

1  This  fort  was  situated  oa  the  south  side  of  Short  creek,  a  few  miles  above 
its  junction  with  the  Ohio  river,  in  Ohio  county,  Virginia.  The  laud  on 
which  it  was  located  belonged  to  the  widow  and  heirs  of  Joseph  Vanmeter, 
and  was  subsequently  owned  by  his  eldest  son,  Morgan  Vanmeter.  In  1847, 
it  belonged  to  the  heirs  of  George  Mathews. 

■  See  Appendix  M,—  Ebenezer  Zane  to  Irvine,  September  17,  1782. 


Appendix  J.  313 


XXYII. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvixk. 

Sunday  Morning,  September  15,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: —  You  may  depend  upon  it  as  matter  of  fact 
that  a  large  party  of  Indians  are  now  in  our  country.  Last 
night  I  saw  two  prisoners  [deserters  from  the  enemy]  who 
made  their  escape  from  Wheeling  in  time  of  the  action,  and 
they  say  the  enemy  consists  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
Indians  and  forty  rangers,  the  latter  commanded  by  a  British 
officer;  that  they  attacked  Wheeling  fort  on  Wednesday  night 
and  continued  the  attack  until  Thursday  night,  at  which  time 
the  above  deserters  left  them.  That  fort,  they  saj",  was  the 
principal  object  of  the  enemy;  but  it  appears  both  from  their 
account  and  the  enemy's  advancing  into  the  country  that  they 
have  despaired  of  taking  it.1  The  deserters  say  that  shortly 
before  they  left  the  enemy,  that  they  had  determined  to  give 
up  the  matter  at  Wheeling,  and  either  scatter  into  small 
parties  in  order  to  distress  and  plunder  the  inhabitants,  or  at- 
tack the  first  small  fort  they  could  come  at.  The  latter,  I  am 
this  moment  informed,  is  actually  the  case;  that  they  have  at- 
tacked one,  Rice's  blockhouse,  on  what  is  called  the  Dutch  fork 
of  Buffalo,  and  it's  to  be  feared  it  will  fall  into  their  hands,2 
as  only  those  have  been  called  upon  who  are  not  going  on  the 
expedition;  I  am  afraid  they  will  not  turn  out  as  well  as  they 
ought  to  do. 

If  the  enemy  continue  to  advance  in  one  body,  the  matter 
will  become  serious  and  perhaps  require  our  whole  strength 
to  repel  them;  but  if  it  can  possibly  be  avoided,  I  could  wish 
not  to  call  upon  a  man  that  is  going  on  the  expedition.3  Be- 
sides the  battalion  rendezvous  is  appointed  as  soon  as  the  men 
could  possibly  be  collected,  unless  the  officers  have  made  other 

1  See  Appendix  M,— Zane  to  Irvine,  September  17,  1782. 

2  Rice's  fort  was  about  fourteen  miles  from  Wheeling'.  Marshel's  fears 
were  not  well  founded.  The  fort  was  attacked,  it  is  true,  but  the  enemy  were 
repulsed  by  a  garrison  of  only  six  men,  the  Indians  losing  four  of  their 
warriors. 

3  That  is,  the  expedition  against  Sandusky,  then  in  contemplation  by  Gen- 
eral Irvine. 


31Jf.  WasJiington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

appointments,  as  you  will  see  by  Colonel  [William]  MeCleery's 
letter  they  have  done  in  the  first  battalion.  Xo  doubt  ammu- 
nition will  be  wanted  on  this  occasion,  a  small  quantity  such 
as  the  bearer  can  carry  will  do. 

P.  S. —  Should  you  think  of  joining  the  militia,  Catfish 
Camp  at  present  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most  suitable  place 
to  establish  your  headquarters,  at  which  place  I  shall  order 
one  battalion  to  rendezvous  on  Tuesday  next;  I  mean  those 
that  are  going  on  the  expedition,  as  Catfish  will  be  in  their 
way  to  Fort  Mcintosh. 

XXVIII. —  Irvine  to  Marsiiel. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  15,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — I  received  your  favor  of  this  date,  and  am 
under  some  difficulty  to  determine  what  is  best  to  be  done. 
I  am  prepared  for  marching  to  any  point  at  a  moment's  warn- 
ing. If  the  enemy  should  advance  in  force  into  the  country, 
the  repelling  them  will,  beyond  a  doubt,  become  clearly  a 
duty;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  I  do  not  go  to  the  general 
rendezvous  at  the  time  appointed,  every  body  who  may  assem- 
ble there  and  not  find  me,  will  immediately  disperse;  and  if  I 
should  order  the  rendezvous  to  be  postponed  but  one  day,  they 
will  not  obey  a  second  summons  in  any  time.  Upon  the 
whole,  either  the  expedition  must  be  given  up  entirely,  and 
make  an  object  of  these  rascals  altogether,  or  we  must  keep 
going  on  with  the  expedition,  at  least,  till  the  matter  can  be 
clearly  ascertained  whether  the  enemy  are  advancing  or 
retreating. 

If  matters  become  so  serious  that  the  expedition  must  give 
way  to  immediate  preservation  of  the  country,  I  will  march 
instantly  to  your  quarter.  In  this,  I  will  govern  my  move- 
ments by  the  intelligence  I  shall  from  time  to  time  receive 
from  you.  If  I  do  not,  therefore,  hear  from  you  again  before 
next  "Wednesday  morning  at  six  o'clock,  I  shall  take  for 
granted  they  have  left  the  country,  and  will  proceed  to  Mc- 
intosh.1    On  the  other  hand,  should  there  be  a  necessity  for 

■This  fixes  the  d  ite  a-  the  18th  of  September,  for  the  assembling.  From 
the  following  undated  communication  of  General  Irvine's,  and  without  ad- 


Appendix  J.  315 

my  aid,  you  will  by  all  means  advise  me,  and  in  the  meantime 
let  the  people  for  the  expedition  goon  assembling.  I  presume 
they  will  not  collect  much  sooner  at  any  rate.  I  will  join 
whenever  it  may  be  adjudged  most  advisable. 


XXIX. —  Maksiiel  to  Irvine. 

September  16,  1782. 
Bear  Sir: —  The  bearer  is  one  of  the  deserters  from  the 
enemy  in  time  of  the  action  at  Wheeling.  Some  people  say 
the  other  deserters  report  this  fellow  is  a  villain.  However, 
be  that  as  it  may,  I  think  it  best  to  send  him  to  you  that  such 
order  may  be  taken  respecting  him  as  you  may  think  proper. 

XXX. —  Marsh  el  to  Irvine. 

September  16,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — About  half  an  hour  before  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  15th,  I  had  dispatched  an  express  to  you,  which 
I  expect  you  will  receive  by  the  bearer.1 

The  enemy,  I  am  in  hopes,  are  dispersed;  therefore,  we 
shall  go  on  with  the  rendezvous  with  all  possible  expedition, 
although  it  will  not  be  in  our  power  to  be  at  Mcintosh  before 
the  21st;  perhaps  some  may  be  there   sooner. 


XXXI. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

September  16,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — A  few  minutes  after  I  wrote  you  yesterday 
morning,  I  received  an  account  of  the  enemy  being  within 

dress,  but  evidently  a  copy  of  a  circular  letter  sent  to  the  county  lieutenants, 
it  is  seen  that  the  day  fixed  upon  and  the  place  for  the  general  rendezvous, 
agree  with  the  above:  "  Ample  time  having  been  given  for  the  militia,  vol- 
unteers and  others,  to  prepare  for  the  expedition,  you  will  direct  those  of  your 
county  to  assemble  at  Fort  Mcintosh  on  the  18th  inst.  with  their  several  quotas 
of  provisions,  horses  and  other  equipments;  and  I  expect  they  will  come  there 
in  such  perfect  orJer  in  every  respect  as  that  the  whole  will  be  able  to  take 
up  the  line  of  march  the  succeeding  day.  I  am  aware  a  number  of  difficul- 
ties will  arise,  but  I  am  certain  that  they  may  all  be  surmounted  by  a  deter- 
mined people." 

'The  deserter  from  the  enemy,  who  carried  the  previous  letter;  that  is,  the 
other  one  of  this  date. 


316  Washingtonr-Irvine  Correspondence. 

one  mile  and  a  half  of  "Wells'  mill;  that  they  had  burnt  a 
house  and  destroyed  the  family;  in  consequence  of  which,  I 
immediately  ordered  the  militia  of  the  fourth  battalion  [Col. 
John  Marshall's]  as  well  those  for  the  expedition  as  others,  to 
rendezvous  at  my  house,  and  the  third  [Col.  David  William- 
son's] and  fifth  [Col.  Thomas  Crooks']  battalions  to  rendezvous 
at  Catfish  [now  Washington,  Washington  county].  However, 
the  alarm  with  regard  to  the  house  being  burnt  was  false,  not- 
withstanding at  the  time  I  had  no  doubt  of  it  being  true. 

It  now  appears  to  me  from  every  circumstance  that  the 
main  body  of  the  enemy  is  gone  over  the  [Ohio]  river  and  that 
a  small  party  remains  on  our  frontier  to  annoy  us  and  prevent 
the  others  being  followed.  As  part  of  the  militia  of  this 
ounty  —  that  for  the  expedition  —  has  been  ordered  to  ren- 
dezvous on  this  occasion  and  others  who  mean  to  go  now  live 
on  the  frontier,  they  cannot  possibly  rendezvous  on  the  clay 
appointed,  nor  do  I  know  your  determination  at  present,  there- 
fore can  only  order  the  men  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness. 
If  I  have  no  other  accounts  from  the  frontier  this  day,  I 
shall  direct  the  volunteers  for  the  expedition  to  return  home 
and  await  marching  orders,  which  I  shall  expect  to  receive 
from  you. 

XXXII. —  Irvine  to  Marshel. 

Foet  Pitt,  September  IS,  1782,  9  o'clock,  P.  M. 

Sir: — I  have  this  moment  received  dispatches  from  the 
[continental]  secretary  at  war,1  informing  me  that  some  regu- 
lar troops  are  ordered  from  below  to  assist  us  in  our  intended 
expedition.  I  am  therefore  to  beg  you  will  immediately 
countermand  the  march  of  the  volunters  and  others  of  your 
county  till  further  orders.  As  soon  as  I  am  positively  assured 
of  the  time  the  troops  will  be  here,  I  shall  give  you  the  ear- 
liest notice.  I  hope  the  good  people  of  your  county  will  not 
think  hard  to  be  stopped,  as  the  measure  is  designed  for  the 
best  and  to  insure  success  if  possible. 

In  the  meantime,  you  will  please  to  direct  that  they  hold 

'Lincoln  to  Irvine,  September 7,  1782  (ante,  p.  181). 


Append ic  J.  3 17 

themselves  in  perfect  read  in  ess  to  inarch  at  a  moment's  warning; 
and  for  this  purpose,  would  it  nut  be  best  to  deposit  the  flour 
in  some  convenient  place  in  each  battalion,  and  also  have  the 
cattle  pastured  in  parcels?  As  far  as  I  am  yet  instructed, 
about  the  6th  of  October  will  be  the  time  for  our  next  ren- 
dezvous. It  must,  however  take  place  on  a  certain  day,  as  it 
is  intended  also  to  favor  an  expedition  from  another  quarter.1 
You  shall  hear  from  me  soon  asjain.2 


XXXIII. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine. 

"Washington  County,  October  15,  1782, 
5  o'clock,  A.  M. 
Dear  Sir: — Your  favor  of  the  13th,  only  came  to  hand 
late  last  night,  the  express  unfortunately  took  sick  by  the 
way;  it  is  therefore  out  of  my  power  to  stop  the  militia  of 
this  county  until  they  rendezvous  in  battalion.  If  they  are 
sent  home,  I  am  clearly  of  opinion  thejr  can  not  be  collected 
again  this  season  even  if  the  troops  from  below  should  arrive 
in  a  few  days.  Numbers  of  them  have  missed  saving  fall 
crops  on  account  of  holding  themselves  in  readiness  for  the 
expedition;  others  are  obliged  to  go  over  the  mountains  for 
necessary  articles;  and  the  season  is  so  far  advanced  that 
almost  every  person  in  the  country  will  be  engaged  in  secur- 
ing their  corn,  etc.;  so  that  they  will  entirely  lose  sight  of  the 
expedition.  To  detain  them  at  the  battalion  rendezvous 
would  be  a  waste  of  time  and  provision  at  an  uncertainty; 
besides  I  fear  it  could  not  be  done.  The  militia  of  this 
county  will  not  stay  long  at  one  place  unless  they  are  con- 
fined. Indeed  I  fear  a  delinquency  in  Westmoreland  full  as 
much  as  in  this  county,  if  not  more  so.  Upon  the  whole,  my 
opinion  is  that  the  matter  must  be  given  up  for  this  season; 
but  lest  I  should  be  wrong,  will  not  throw  out  the  remotest 
hint  of  it  until  I  hear  from  you  again.     I   shall  direct  the 

1  The  expedition  here  referred  to  was  one  contemplated  against  the  Genesee 
Indian  towns. 

3  A  similar  letter  was  sent  to  Colonel  Cook,  lieutenant  of  Westmoreland 
county. 


SIS  Wash  ington-Irvine  Correspon den  ce. 

field  officers  to  discharge  their  battalions  until  farther  orders; 
in  the  meantime,  take  their  opinion  with  regard  to  the  dispo- 
sition of  the  people,  and  if  it  appears  that  they  can  be  rallied 
again,  you  may  depend  upon  every  exertion  in  my  power  if 
required. 

P.  S. —  I  shall  write  Colonel  [David]  Shepherd  agreeable  to 
your  request. 

I  have  all  the  cash  in  my  hand  I  received  from  you  except 
the  price  of  the  kegs  and  twenty-one  pounds  to  Colonel 
[David]  Williamson  for  cattle;  this  I  expect  will  be  returned 
if  required. 


XXXIY. —  Marshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  October  21,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — This  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  Mr.  Robert 
Wallace,  who  will  also  inform  you  of  his  intention  of  applying 
to  his  excellency,  General  Washington,  in  order  to  get  his 
family  exchanged.  He  will  also  give  you  his  idea  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  exchange  is  to  be  effected,  etc.  Notwith- 
standing I  have  no  great  opinion  of  the  practicability  of  his 
plan,  yet  if  anything  can  be  done  for  him  in  the  line  he  pro- 
poses, I  make  no  doubt  you  will  put  him  on  the  right  track  or 
save  him  further  trouble.1 

I  am  anxious  to  know  the  reason  why  the  troops  have  not 
come   from    below.      I   hope  you  will   not  forget  (if    Major 

1  Mention  has  been  made  of  the  capture  of  Robert  Wallace's  family  (ante, 
pp.  99,  240).  Wallace's  wif  e,  a  son  ten  years  old,  another  aged  two-and-a-half 
years,  and  an  infant  daughter,  constituted  the  family.  Mrs.  Wallace  and  her 
infant  were,  soon  after  the  capture,  tomahawked  and  scalped;  but  the  two 
boys  were  taken  to  Sandusky,  where  the  oldest  died.  The  other  was  finally 
rescued  by  his  father  from  the  savages.  A  little  over  eight  months  had 
elapsed  since  the  family  were  taken,  to  the  date  of  the  above  letter;  yet,  from 
the  words  of  Marshel,  it  is  evident  Wallace  had  obtained  no  knowledge  of  the 
death  of  his  wife  and  infant  daughter.  This  is  a  singular  fact,  as  both  were 
killed  by  the  savages  before  they  reached  the  Ohio.  He  had  not  learned,  also, 
of  the  death  of  his  eldest  child,  at  the  above  date.  It  will  be  seen  by  refer- 
ence to  page  2o9,  note  4,  last  line,  that  the  killing  of  the  wife  and  daughter 
was  unknown  upon  the  border  when  the  militia  started  for  "  Muskingum." 


Appendix  J.  319 

[John]  Rose1  is  returned)  to  write  me  by  Mr.  "Wallace.  I 
could  wish  that  the  cattle  for  which  I  paid  Colonel  [David  | 
Williamson  might  be  sent  for  as  soon  as  possible.  They  are 
now  at  his  house.  He  informs  me  they  are  troublesome  to 
him,  he  not  having  pasture  of  his  own. 


XXXV. —  Maeshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  October  25,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: —  Your  favor  of  the  20th  with  the  inclosed  I  re- 
ceived yesterday  evening,  which  will  enable  me,  I  hope,  to 
satisfy  the  people  who  may  ask  me  the  reason  why  the  expedi- 
tion is  stopped.  Notwithstanding,  it  is  very  extraordinary  in- 
deed that  yun  have  received  no  official  account  of  the  expedition 
being  laid  aside.  It  may  be  the  thoughts  of  peace  being  near, 
was  the  cause  of  this  neglect.  I  sincerely  wish  with  you  that 
an  honorable  peace  may  soon  take  place;  and,  that  no  mistake 
may  happen,  at  any  rate  nothing  shall  be  wanting  in  my  power 
to  prepare  either  for  peace  or  war. 

The  public  arms  in  this  county  I  shall  order  to  be  carried 
into  Fort  Pitt  immediately.  The  cash  remaining  in  my  hands 
1  have  sent  by  Colonel  [William]  Parker  with  an  account  of 
my  expenditures,  but  have  not  taken  any  receipts,  as  I  intended 
to  do  this  business  at  the  rendezvous;  therefore,  have  made 
you  "  Dr."  in  the  account.  The  necessary  vouchers,  besides 
the  delivery  of  the  articles  purchase],  I  shall  transmit  the  first 
opportunity. 

If  an  officer  and  about  twenty-five  men  from  yon  could  be 
spared  a  few  days  as  a  guard  to  the  sheriff  of  this  county,  it 
would  enable  him  to  collect  the  delinquent  [militia]  fines, 
which  would  be  of  infinite  service  to  the  county,  and  also 
prepare  us  for  a  settlement  of  public  accounts.  Colonel  Parker 
will  confer  with  you  on  the  subject. 

'Major  Rose  was  one  and  Capt.  Sam'l  Brady  the  other  of  the  "officer 
express  "  sent  by  Irvine  eastward,  to  find  out  why  the  regulars  expected  at 
Fort  Pitt,  for  the  Sandusky  expedition,  were  so  tardy,  and  to  hasten  their 
march  (ante,  p.  134,  note  2). 


■JJO  'Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

XXXVI. —  Mabshel  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  November  1,  17S2. 
Dear  Sir: —  Colonel  [Edward]  Cook  [lieutenant  of  West- 
moreland county]  applies  to  me  for  a  few  volunteers  as  a 
guard  for  the  artists  to  run  the  state  line.  I  expect  to  raise 
some  for  that  service,  but  have  not  any  ammunition  to  give 
them.  Colonel  [Thomas]  Crooks  also  borrowed  three  pounds 
powder  and  four  and  one-half  pounds  lead,  when  he  went  to 
serve  his  tour  at  Wheeling,  which  was  to  be  replaced.  I  am 
now  called  upon  for  it.  If  you  will  please  to  send  me  the 
above  quantity,  also  five  pounds  powder  and  six  or  seven  of 
lead,  for  the  volunteers  now  going  on  duty,  you  will  oblige 
[me]. 

XXXVII. —  Marsiiel  to  Irvine.1 

Washington,  May  IS,  17S3. 
Dear  Sir: — Colonel  [David]  Williamson  informs  me  that 
a  large  party  of  Indians  have  been  discovered  on  Thursday 
last  about  twenty  miles  below  Wheeling;  that  they  have 
routed  the  land  jobbers2  on  the  other  side  of  the  [Ohio]  river, 
and  are  expected  to  cross  about  the  place  they  were  first  dis- 
covered. From  every  circumstance  I  can  learn,  it  appears 
that  the  party  is  formidable  and  that  they  mean  to  strike  in 
different  places.  What  the  consequence  may  be  God  only 
knows,  for  I  do  not  believe  that  fifty  volunteers  can  be  raised 
in  the  county  to  repel  them.  At  any  rate,  ammunition  will  be 
wanting  for  the  frontier  inhabitants  if  none  else  should  be  got 
to  use  it.  You  will  please  therefore  to  send  by  the  bearer 
such  quantity  as  you  may  think  necessary.  Should  the  alarm 
prove  false,  I  shall  take  special  care  that  none  of  it  be  wasted. 

1  This  letter  was  written  while  Irvine  was  absent  from  Fort  Pitt,  at  his 
home  in  Carlisle.  It  was  directed, —  "  To  General  Irvine  or,  in  his  absence, 
Colonel  Bayard,  commanding  Fort  Pitt."  It  closed  the  correspondence  be- 
tween Marshel  and  Irvine. 

4 That  is,  the  "new  state  11  settlers  (ante,  p.  196,  et  seq. 


APPENDIX  K. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH   THE   LIEUTENANT    OF    WESTMORE- 
LAND COUNTY,  PENNSYLVANIA.1 


I. —  Irvine  to  Edward  Cook.2 
[circular.] 

Fort  Pitt,  January,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  am  to  go  down  to  Philadelphia  on  business  con- 
nected with  my  command  here;  and,  as  I  am  not  certain  what 
time  I  may  be  detained  there,  I  am  apprehensive  there  may 
be  an  absolute  necessity  for  calling  out  some  militia  before  I 

.   '  Extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Penn- 
sylvania: 

"In  Council,"  Philadelphia,  Saturday,  January  5,  1782. 

"  The  council  took  into  consideration  the  appointment  of  a  lieutenant  for 
the  county  of  Westmoreland,  in  the  room  of  Archibald  Lochry,  Esquire,  de- 
ceased; and  Edward  Cook,  Esquire,  sub-lieutenant  of  the  said  county,  being 
recommended  to  the  board  as  a  proper  person  for  said  office :  thereupon, 

"Resolved,  That  Edward  Cook,  Esquire,  be  appointed  lieutenant  of  the 
county  of  Westmoreland  in  the  room  of  Archibald  Lochry,  Esquire,  deceased, 
and  that  he  be  commissioned  accordingly." 

2  Edward  Cook  was  born  Jan.  1,  1739,  of  English  parentage,  in  the  Cumber- 
land valley,  on  the  Conococheague,  then  in  Lancaster,  now  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania.  His  father  was  probably  a  farmer.  Edward  first  made  a 
prospecting  tour  across  the  mountains.  In  1770,  he  removed  to  the  "  Forks 
of  Yough  "  between  the  Monongahela  and  Youghiogheny  rivers,  now  Fayette 
county.  He  first  established  a  store,  and  afterward  a  line  of  pack-horses 
across  the  mountains.  In  1776,  he  had  completed  and  moved  in  a  stone 
house,  yet  standing,  where  he  lived  and  died.  At  an  early  day,  he  not  only  kept 
a  store,  but  erected  mills,  farmed,  had  a  still  house,  and  owned  slaves.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  committee  of  conference  which  met  at  Carpenter's  Hall, 
June  18,  1776,  and  of  the  convention  of  July  15,  following.  In  1777,  he  was 
appointed  by  the  general  assembly  one  of  the  commissioners  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  meet  those  from  the  other  states,  which  assembled  at  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  November  22,  1777,  to  regulate  the  prices  of  commodities.     In 

1781,  he  was  in  command  of  a  battalion  of  rangers  for  frontier  defence,  and 
was  a  sub-lieutenant  of  Westmoreland,  1780-1.     On  the  the  5th  of  January, 

1782,  he  was,  as  stated  in  the  note  immediately  preceding  this,  made  lieuten- 

21 


322  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

return,  especially  as  this  garrison  must  be  employed  in  repair- 
ing the  fort.  Colonel  Gibson  will  command  in  my  absence, 
and  will  be  the  best  judge  when  this  necessity  will  arise. 

On  his  requisition  you  will  therefore  order  out  such  num- 
bers of  militia  (not  exceeding  sixty)  for  one  tour  from  your 
county,  as  he  will  call  for,  the  tour  not  to  be  for  a  longer  term 
than  one  month.1  I  hope  to  return  by  the  first  of  March,  be- 
fore which  time,  I  presume  there  will  not  be  much  danger  of 
any  damage  being  done;  at  the  same  time,  I  think  it  most 
prudent  to  take  every  proper  precaution.2 

ant  of  the  county,  in  place  of  Archibald  Lochry,  deceased.  This  office  he 
continued  to  hold  until  the  erection  of  Fayette  county,  in  1783. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1782,  the  supreme  executive  council  "ordered  that  a 
special  commission  of  oyer  and  terminer  and  general  jail  deliveiy,  directed  to 
the  Honorable  Christopher  Hays  and  Dorsey  Pentecost,  Esquires,  and 
Edward  Cook,  Esquire,  be  now  issued  to  the  counties  of  Westmoreland  and 
Washington  for  the  trial  of  divers  persons  now  confined  in  the  jails  of  the 
said  counties  charged  with  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors."  (See  Appendix 
M, —  Hays  and  Cook  to  Irvine,  Dec.  25, 1782.)  Col.  Cook  was  one  of  the  com- 
missioners who  laid  out  the  present  county-seat  of  Fayette  county.  He  was 
appointed  one  of  the  justices  of  his  county  with  jurisdiction  (along  with  John 
Hoge,  Thomas  Scott  and  William  Walter)  including  Washington  county,  on 
the  21st  of  November,  1786.  He  was  made  presiding  judge  of  the  Fayette 
common  pleas,  April  8,  1789.  On  the  7th  of  August,  1791,  he  became  asso- 
ciate judge  of  Fayette  under  the  new  constitution.  He  was  a  man  of  influ- 
ence, and  during  the  excise  troubles  in  1794  was  chosen  chairman  of  the 
Mingo  creek  meeting,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  allaying  the  excite- 
ment, and  thus  virtually  ending  the  so-called  Whisky  Insurrection.  He  died 
November  28th,  1808.  His  wife  was  Martha  Crawford  of  Cumberland,  now 
Franklin  county,  sister  of  Col.  Josiah  Crawford.  She  was  married  to 
Edward  Cook  in  1770.  She  died  in  1837,  aged  ninety-four  years,  in  the  old 
stone  house,  into  which  they  moved,  as  she  always  said,  in  "Independence 
Year."  It  stands  about  two  miles  northeast  of  Fayette  City,  formerly  Cooks- 
town.  Colonel  Cook  had  but  one  child,  James  Crawford  Cook,  who  was  born 
in  1772,  and  died  in  1848. 

1  Gibson  exercised  the  authority  conferred  upon  him  by  Irvine  in  making  a 
requisition  upon  the  lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  for  a  number  of  militia  to 
protect  the  frontier  of  that  county.  This  was  made  necessary  because  of 
threatened  marauds  of  the  savages.  Sixty  were  ordered  out  for  one  month's 
tour  of  duty,  and  stationed  on  the  frontiers  of  Westmoreland. 

2  This  was  a  circular  letter,  a  like  one  having  been  sent  to  Col.  James 
Marshel,  lieutenant  of  Washington  county.  (Ante,  p.  84,  note  2 ;  also,  p.  282, 
note  1.) 


Appendix  K.  333 


II. —  Irvine  to  Cook. 

Fokt  Pitt,  March  28,  1782. 

Sir: — You  are  already  acquainted  with  the  resolution  of 
congress  and  orders  of  the  president  and  council  of  Penn- 
sylvania respecting  my  command  in  this  quarter;1  in  addi- 
tion to  which,  I  have  received  instructions  from  his  excellency, 
General  Washington.2 

As  making  arrangements  to  cover  and  protect  the  country 
is  the  main  object;  and  [as]  it  is  to  be  done  by  a  combination 
of  regulars  and  militia,  the  business  will  be  complicated;  and 
[as  there  will  be]  a  diversity  of  interests,  I  think  it  of  the  ut- 
most importance  that  whatever  plan  may  be  adopted  [it] 
should  be  as  generally  understood  as  the  nature  of  the  service 
will  admit.  You  will  conceive  that,  on  this  occasion,  I  shall 
stand  in  need  of  the  counsel  and  assistance  of  some  of  the 
principal  people  of  the  country.  I  wish,  therefore,  to  see  you 
and  at  least  one  field  officer  of  every  battalion  in  your  county, 
for  which  purpose,  I  request  you  will  be  pleased  to  warn  such 
as  you  may  think  proper  to  attend  at  this  post  on  Friday,  the 
5th  of  April  next;  punctually  to  the  day  will  be  necessary,  as 
I  have  written  to  Colonel  Marshel  and  others  in  "Washington 
county  also,  to  attend  on  that  day.3 


III. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

April  8,  1782. 
Sir: — I  must  request  you  to  furnish  those  militia  with 
arms,  such  of  them  as  want  that  article,  likewise  ammunition. 
It  will  be  necessary  to  send  those  to  Carnahan's  block  house, 
in  order  to  scout  toward  Ligonier,  etc.,  where  I  expect  they 
will  be  joined  by  a  draft  from  the  north  side  of  the  Youghio- 
gheny. 

Your  honor  will  be  pleased  to  give  him  [the  bearer,  Sergeant 

1  Ante,  p.  72,  note  1 ;  also,  p.  279,  note  3. 
8  See  Washington  to  Irvine,  p.  94. 
3  Ante,  p.  104  and  note;  also,  p.  284. 


324  Wcwhingtortr-Iroine  Correspondence. 

John  Ashcraft]  the  necessary  instructions.  I  have  not  had 
time  to  order  out  the  field  officers  to  the  conference  agree- 
able to  jour  request.1 


IV. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

At  My  House,2  April  18,  1782. 
Sir: — Last  Thursday,  the  draft  from  the  battalion  in  which 
I  live  (being  the  second)  set  out  for  their  place  of  rendezvous 
at  widow  Myres'.  They  consist  of  about  fifty  men.  I  cannot 
tell  whether  the  other  company  at  Carnahau's  block  house  is 
complete,  but  I  have  ordered  Captain  [Joseph]  Beckett,  who 
commands  this  draft,  to  detach  from  his  so  as  to  make  them 
complete.  I  have  instructed  him  in  the  mode  of  defense 
agreeable  to  the  arrangement.3  I  furnished  them  with  am  mil- 
nition  and  expect  they  will  obtain  arms  from  those  they  relieve 
sufficient  to  equip  them.  Captain  Beckett  will  take  the  first 
opportunity  to  give  you  a  return  of  those  under  his  command. 
I  was  not  at  home  when  the  drafts  from  the  fourth  or  upper 
battalion  went  along,  being  at  court.  I  left  orders  for  them 
to  proceed  to  Carnahau's  block  house.  Colonel  [John]  Puin- 
roy  of  the  first  battalion  [of  "Westmoreland  county  militia]  is 
near  Ilannastown.  I  have  sent  orders  to  him  to  superintend 
the  draft  this  mouth. 


V. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

May  26,  17S2. 
Sir: — I  have  received  two  letters  from  you  since  I  have  had 
the  opportunity  of  answering. 

I  wrote  to  Colonel  Pumroy,  as  I  mentioned  in  my  last,  to 
take  the  command  agreeable  to  the  arrangement,  which  he  has 
not  attended  to.     Colonel  [Charles]  Campbell  [sub-lieutenant 

1  See  the  letter  of  Irvine  next  preceding1. 

s  About  two  miles  northeast  of  the  present  Fayette  City,  Fayette  county,  Pa. 
It  is  still  standing  (ante,  p.  321,  note  2,  last  paragraph). 

8  From  this,  it  will  be  seen,  that  Col.  Cook  had  been  informed  of  the 
arrangements  agreed  upon  at  the  meeting  at  Fort  Pitt,  April  5th. 


Appendix  K.  325 

of  Westmoreland  county]  wrote  me  that  Pumroy  would  attend 
this  month,  and  I  understand  he  has  not.  In  short,  it  appears 
that  every  thing  is  done  by  those  people  that  they  think  will 
promote  confusion  and  disorder.  I  never  can  hear  that  one 
man  is  gone  from  that  quarter  to  the  defense  of  the  frontier. 
Those  that  were  drafted  for  the  defense  this  month  have  chiefly 
turned  out  volunteers  on  this  [Crawford's]  expedition  [against 
Sandusky]  and  that  is  the  reason  why  so  few  are  from  this 
quarter,  which  is  the  only  part  that  has  done  any  thing. 

I  have  endeavored  to  do  every  thing  in  my  power,  and  can 
get  so  little  done  to  any  purpose  that  my  quiet  and  peace  are 
so  destroyed  that  life,  in  some  measure,  is  burthensome.  I 
have  ordered  Colonel  [Benjamin]  Davis  [of  the  second  battal- 
ion of  Westmoreland  militia]  now  to  the  frontier  for  what 
remains  of  this  month  and  have  ordered  a  few  men  more  to 
re-enforce  Captain  [Thomas]  Moore.  Eight  men  are  gone.  I 
hope  after  this  month  there  shall  be  less  cause  of  complaint. 

P.  S. —  Before  I  was  done  writing,  Ensign  Cooper  came  in 
and  informs  me  that  Pumroy  has  attended,  but  has  not  waited 
upon  you  nor  made  any  report;  upon  which  I  have  written  to 
him  and  countermanded  the  order  to  Davis.  Many  thanks  for 
your  care  about  the  fine. 


VI. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

At  My  House,  May  29,  1782. 

Sir: — There  seems  to  be  a  general  outcry  against  the  pay- 
ment of  taxes  over  the  whole  country.  The  plea  that  is  made 
use  of  against  it  is  that  there  is  not  specie  in  the  country  suf- 
ficient to  discharge  the  sum  demanded;  but  if  assurances  could 
be  given  that  Mr.  Morris  would  take  specific  articles,  such  as 
provisions,  etc.,  it  is  thought  that  it  would  ease  the  minds  of 
the  people  and  produce  salutary  effects.  If  it  was  in  your 
power  by  circulars  letter  or  by  some  means  to  give  encourage- 
ment respecting  that  mode  of  discharging  the  tax,  it  is  thought 
it  would  be  of  signal  service. 

At  the  request  of  some  gentlemen,  I  have  written  to  you;  as 


326  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

it  is  feared  that  the  opposition  will  be  so  great  that  the  matter 
cannot  be  effected;  which  will  be  a  sensible  injury  to  the  public 
in  general.  If  there  is  any  other  eligible  mode,  I  would  be 
glad  to  have  the  general's  sentiments  on  the  subject.1 


"VII. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

May  30,  1782. 
Sir: — There  is  a  certain  Benjamin  Dye  and  a  certain  Henry 
Foster  that  are  delinquents  in  the  militia.  Their  fines  are  five 
pounds  five  shillings  each.  We  are  lately  informed  the  price 
of  common  labor  is  rated  at  three  shillings  six  pence  by  the 
assembly,  which  brings  the  fines  to  that  sum. 

P.  S. —  I  am  told  it  is  a  French  boat  those  persons  are  gone 
or  going  with. 


VIII. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

June  10,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — We  are  much  distressed  on  account  of  the  want 
of  a  few  arms  towards  arming  the  guard  for  running  the  line. 
I  am  under  the  necessity  of  making  or  rather  renewing  the 
application  on  that  score.  If  it  is  in  your  power  to  send  only 
ten  it  will  be  a  great  help,  and  I  will  pledge  my  word  for  the 
delivery  of  them  to  your  post  again  as  soon  as  the  guard  re- 
turns.2 I  have  thought  that  if  you  should  think  it  advisable 
to  send  a  few  active  officers  and  a  few  privates  of  the  regular 
troops  it  would  give  a  kind  of  sanction  and  weight  to  the 
matter.8 

1  Gen.  Irvine  had  already  corresponded  with  Mr.  Morris  concerning  this 
matter  (ante,  pp.  204-207)  so  far  as  Washington  county  was  concerned. 

9  Two  days  after  the  appointment  of  Alexander  McClean,  by  Pennsylvania, 
as  commissioner  on  part  of  that  state  to  run  the  temporary  boundary  line,  the 
lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  county  was  authorized  to  furnish  such  number  of 
militia  of  his  county,  as  might  be  wanted  as  guards  to  the  surveyors.  Over 
one  hundred  were  drafted  but  arms  were  wanting.  For  a  supply  —  ten,  if  no 
more  —  Cook  writes  as  above. 

3  Irvine  declined  sending  any  continentals  upon  that  service  for  good  reasons 
(ante,  p.  248).  The  same  request  was  afterward  made  by  Marshel  (see  p.  29  J), 
who  met  with  a  like  refusal. 


Appendix  K.  327 

Colonels  [Christopher]  Hays  and  [Benjamin]  Davis  are  gone 
on  and  intend  delaying  a  few  days  at  the  mouth  of  George's 
creek  thinking  that  the  opposition  may  perhaps  scatter  or  sub- 
side; for  we  are  well  assured  of  an  opposition  by  the  inhabit- 
ants, who  apprehend  the  running  of  the  line  will  be  a  prelude 
to  the  taxes,  which  they  have  a  most  sovereign  aversion  to;1 — 
at  all  events,  if  possible,  send  a  few  arms. 

I  have  sent  the  copy  of  the  two  letters  from  Mr.  Morris  to 
Colonel  McCleau  and  expect  they  will  be  of  service,  and  that 
he  will  make  a  good  use  of  them.     I  will  take  care  to  have 

Mr.  's  conduct  inquired  into.2     This  is  not  the  first 

offense.  I  understand  they  are  holding  meetings  in  "Wash- 
ington county  lately  about  a  new  state,  which  shows  this  is  a 
most  distracted  country. 


IX. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

June  24,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — In  my  last,  I  mentioned  something  of  the 
anxiety  of  the  people  in  general  for  another  expedition.  By  the 
bearer  hereof  [Benjamin  Harrison],3  you  will  learn  something 
of  the  truth  of  what  has  been  asserted.4  But  it  seems  to  be 
the  general  opinion  that  it  will  not  do  without  General  Irvine 
takes  the  command  with  what  regulars  can  be  spared.  Indeed, 
it  is  wished  that  the  whole  could  go,  and  garrison  the  posts 
with  militia  [that  is,  let  the  militia  garrison  the  posts,  while 
the  regulars  go  upon  the  expedition]. 

1  The  reason  for  opposition  to  the  running1  of  the  line  on  part  of  those  who 
lived  in  the  vicinity  is  thus  made  plain.  When  this  letter  was  written,  Cook 
did  not  know  that  the  enterprise  had  been  abandoned  by  McClean  for  the 
time;  indeed,  it  was  given  up  on  the  very  day  of  his  writing  (June  10th). 

2  Concerning  the  man  whose  name  is  left  blank  at  this  point,  Irvine,  on  the 
back  of  the  above  letter,  wrote:  " ,  an  attorney  of  Virginia,  for- 
merly an  active  partisan,  if  not  disaffected,  as  well  as ."    The  last 

blank  is  filled  with  the  name  of  the  leader  of  the  new  state  scheme  (ante, 
pp.  109,  244). 

3  Then,  or  soon  after,  colonel  of  the  4th  battalion  Westmoreland  county 
militia. 

4  Referring  to  proposals  from  some  gentlemen  of  Westmoreland,  to  "  carry" 
an  expedition  against  Sandusky.     (See  next  letter.) 


328  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

If  the  general  was  to  make  a  demand  of  the  number  of 
militia  necessary,  it  is  not  doubted  but  they  will  be  furnished, 
together  with  provisions  and  transportation  for  the  regular 
troops.  I  have  written  this  without  waiting  for  an  answer  to 
ray  last  as  Captain  [Benjamin]  Harrison,  in  behalf  of  the 
people  in  his  quarter,  has  requested  me  to  write  by  hi  in. 

P.  S. —  It  is  also  talked  of  that  the}' will  put  themselves 
under  the  command  of  the  continental  officers  so  as  to  fill  up 
the  two  regiments  under  your  command. 


X. —  Irvine  to  Cook. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  26,  1782. 

Sir: — Since  my  last  by  Mr.  McClean,  Captain  Harrison 
arrived  with  your  favor  of  the  24th,  and  other  papers,  pro- 
posals from  some  gentlemen  in  youv  quarter  for  carrying  an 
expedition.1  These  people  seem  so  much  in  earnest  that  I  am 
led  to  think  if  other  parts  of  the  country  are  so  spirited  and 
patriotic  something  may  probably  be  done;  but  as  it  will  take 
some  time  to  come  to  a  proper  knowledge  of  this  matter,  and 
that  must  be  accurately  done,  there  can  be  no  harm  in  making 
the  experiment.  Captain  Harrison  proposes  having  a  sub- 
scription taken  from  all  the  companies  in  your  county  similar 
to  that  he  handed  me  from  Captains  Beall  and  Moore.  If 
this  was  done  and  the  whole  transmitted  to  me,  I  would  soon 
be  able  to  determine  whether  it  would  be  worth  while  to  give 
the  people  the  trouble  of  calling  them  together; —  these,  I  sup- 
pose, may  be  obtained  by  the  twentieth  of  July.  If  found 
sufficient  to  warrant  an  assembly,  then  the  first  of  August 
would  be  as  soon  as  they  could  well  be  got  together. 

I  have  no  intimation  of  any  system  being  on  foot  in  "Wash- 
ington county  for  this  purpose.  It  is  said  the  people  wish  an 
expedition;  but  I  am  rather  doubtful  [of  its  accomplishment, 
as]  they  expect  it  done  in  a  regular  channel,  namely:  to  be 
called  out  by  law;  then  they  will  of  course  expect  to  be  fur- 

1  See  Appendix  M, —  Robert  Beall  and  Thomas  Moore  to  Irvine,  June  23, 

1782. 


Appendix  K.  389 

nished  with  all  necessaries  by  the  public.  This  is  a  business  T 
have  no  authority  for;  nor  could  I  promise  positively  to  pay 
for  a  single  pack-horse,  until  I  receive  instructions  for  that 
purpose  from  congress  or  the  commander-in-chief;  my  present 
orders  being  to  act  on  the  defensive  only.  If,  nevertheless, 
when  the  season  is  so  far  advanced  (as  I  believe  I  mentioned 
in  my  last)  that  I  shall  not  have  a  right  to  expect  any  regular 
effective  force  to  carry  offensive  measures  on  a  larger  scale,  I 
would,  in  that  case,  look  on  it  justifiable  for  me  to  join  with 
the  people  of  the  country,  in  making  excursions  into  the 
enemy's  country,  particularly  when  they  are  so  spirited  as  to 
propose  doing  it  at  their  own  personal  risk  and  expense.1 


XI. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

At  My  House,  August  9,  1782. 

Sir: — We  have  hired  five  spies  who  are  now  out,  who  are 
to  reconnoiter  from  Fort  Crawford  to  the  Kittanning,  agreeable 
to  what  was  proposed  when  with  you.  They  are  ordered  to 
correspond  with  those  you  may  send.  They  are  to  make  the 
figure  of  the  day  of  the  month  upon  a  tree  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain their  meeting  or  appointing  places,  and  leave  a  line  under 
a  stone  at  the  root  of  the  tree  importing  the  nature  of  the 
discovery  if  they  have  made  any. 

I  have  had  a  meeting  of  the  field  officers  and  other  principal 
inhabitants  upon  the  subject  of  the  expedition.2  The  plan 
agreed  upon  I  will  lay  before  the  gentlemen  who  are  to  meet 

1  Ante,  pp.  123,  175,  303. 

2  The  following1  is  a  copy  of  the  proceedings: 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  field  officers  and  other  respectable  inhabitants  of  the 
county  of  Westmoreland  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Edward  Cook,  on  Thursday, 
the  eighth  day  of  August,  1782,  to  consult  on  a  plan  for  an  expedition  against 
tbe  Sandusky  Indian  nations  bordering  on  our  frontier, —  Colonel  Christopher 
Hays,  Esq.,  Colonel  Alexander  McClean,  Colonel  Benjamin  Harrison,  Captain 
Hezekiah  McGruder,  and  Charles  Foreman,  Esq.,  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  form  a  plan  for  that  purpose. 

"1st.  Resolved,  That  each  battalion  of  the  militia  of  Westmoreland 
county  shall  furnish  their  quota  of   men,  provisions  and  horses,  equipped 


330  Washington— Irvine  Correspondence. 

at  Catfish  Camp  [now  Washington,  Washington  county]  the 
15th  instant.  It  is  thought  we  cannot  complete  our  plan  be- 
fore the  20th  instant,  so  as  to  make  returns.1 

for  transportation,  hereunto  annexed  to  each  and  every  battalion  respectively, 

namely: 

Men.  Rations.  Horses. 

The  1st  Battalion  Col.  John  Pumroy 61  4,117  30 

"    2d         "        Col.  Benj.  Davis 176  11,800  88 

"    3rd        "        Col.  Geo.  Beard 122  8,235  61 

"    4th         "        Col.  Benj.  Harrison 123  8,302  61 

"    5th         "        Col.  Theophilus  Phillips 119  8,032  59 

"  The  said  provision,  etc.,  to  be  deposited  at  such  time  and  place  in  each  and 
every  battalion  as  the  commanding  officer  shall  appoint. 

"  2dly.  Resolved,  That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  and  every  battalion 
do  exempt  the  militia  from  one  month's  service  and  each  and  every  man  that 
shall  furnish  and  equip  one  horse  sufficient  for  the  said  service  at  the  time  and 
place  appointed  for  depositing  said  provisions. 

"  Provided  always  that  the  said  expedition  proceeds  on  or  is  canned  into  exe- 
cution. And  every  horse  so  as  aforesaid  entered  be  adjudged  and  appraised 
by  two  indifferently  chosen  by  each  company  of  said  battalion  respectively. 

"3rd.  Resolved,  That  in  case  any  of  the  said  horses  so  as  aforesaid  entered 
and  equipped,  adjudged  and  appraised  and  proceeding  on  said  expedition,  be 
lost  in  said  service,  the  lieutenant  and  sub-lieutenants  of  the  county  together 
with  the  members  of  this  committee  in  conjunction  with  those  whose  names 
are  hereunto  annexed,  do  pledge  themselves,  their  fortunes  and  honors  for  the 
payment  of  the  said  horses  agreeable  to  the  said  appraisements.  [Signed]  Ed- 
ward Cook,  Alexander  McClean,  Benj.  Davis,  Christopher  Hays,  Charles 
Foreman,  Nehemiafa  Stokely,  Benj.  Harrison,  Hez.  McGruder,  Zadock  Sprin- 
ger, Samuel  Wilson,  John  Hughes,  Thomas  Warring,  Paden  Cook,  Theophilus 
Piiillips,  Andrew  Sinn." 

1  The  following  order  issued  to  Lieut.  Richard  Johnson,  the  day  previous  to 
the  writing  of  the  above  letter,  exhibits  Cook's  watchful  care  over  the  north- 
ern settlements  of  his  county: 

"At  My  House,  August  8,  1782. 

"Sir: — You  are  to  proceed  with  the  militia  under  your  command  to  Myres' 
Station  where  you  will  receive  arms  and  ammunition  either  there  or  by  apply- 
ing either  through  the  field  officer  or  in  person  to  the  general.  You  will  have 
to  detach  a  few  men  to  Reyburn's,  Waltour's  and  Fort  Barr.  I  cannot  in- 
form you  of  the  number  necessary  to  each.  You  will  be  directed  by  the 
strength  of  your  party  or  the  number  you  can  spare;  .and  in  this  matter  you 
will  consult  the  field  officer  who  superintends  the  different  stations.  I  am, 
sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  Edwakd  Cook." 


Aj>_pendix  K.  331 


XII. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

August  27,  1782. 

Sir: — I  thought  to  have  been  able  to  inform  you  something 
particular  about  the  intended  expedition.  I  am  yet  in  the 
dark  about  it.  I  have  had  no  return  from  the  north  side  of 
Youghiogheny  as  yet;  although  I  am  of  opinion  that  this 
county  would  furnish  near  five  hundred  men  with  provision 
and  horses  equivalent;  that  is,  from  what  I  have  been  able  to 
learu,  although  I  am  obliged  to  build  something  on  conjec- 
ture. Colonel  Harrison  is  on  his  way  to  Colonel  Marshel 
in  order  to  investigate  the  state  of  matters  there  and  will  call 
upon  yon  on  his  return. 

P.  S. —  Sir:  After  I  had  sealed  this  letter  I  recollected  this 
from  Colonel  [Charles]  Campbell  respecting  spies  he  says  he 
has  hired,  desiring  me  to  acquaint  you  with  them.1  September 
2,  1782. 


XIII. —  Irvine  to  Cook. 

[circular.] 

[No  date.] 2 
The  negro  man  who  came  in  from  the  Shawanese  town 
arrived  at  the  Mingo  bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio], 
the  7th  Aug.,  and  was  fifteen  days  on  the  way. 

'The  letter  here  referred  to  was  as  follows: 

"August  21,  1782. 

"Sir: — A  return  of  Captain  Hugh  Martin's  and  Captain  John  McClel- 
land's  volunteers  to  go  on  the  campaign  and  horses  and  rations:  men,  twenty- 
eight;  rations,  nineteen  hundred  and  eight;  horses,  ten.  Sir,  these  are  all 
the  returns  that  were  made  to  me  of  this  battalion.  You  will  inform  the  gen- 
eral [Irvine]  that  I  have  hired  six  spies  that  keep  a  constant  scouting  from  the 
Laurel  Hill  to  Wasson's  place  on  Crooked  creek;  and  if  he  would  order  it  so 
that  the  spies  who  go  up  the  Alleghany  and  they,  were  to  meet,  he  could  have 
constant  intelligence  if  any  party  of  Indians  would  come  in  any  part  to  strike 
the  inhabitants.     I  am,  sir,  your  humble  servant, 

"  Cha's  Campbell. 

"To  Colonel  Edward  Cook." 

2  Written  about  September  1,  1782. 


33  J  Wash  in gto n-Irv in e  Correspo ndence. 

He  was  examined  minutely  by  me.  The  interesting  and 
material  parts  of  the  intelligence  he  brings  are  as  follow- 
That  last  winter  Capt.  [Alexander]  McKee1  was  busy  ar- 
ranging matters  with  the  Indians  to  come  against  Fort  Pitt  in 
the  spring  ;  but,  in  February,  two  deserters  arrived  at  the 
[Shawanese]  towns  from  Gen.  Clark,  who  gave  the  information 
that  Fort  Pitt  was  put  into  such  a  state  of  defense  as  would 
render  the  reduction  of  it  uncertain;  but  that  the  Falls  [Louis- 
ville] were  weak,  and  could  easily  be  reduced.  On  this  report, 
they  changed  their  ground  and  determined  to  go  against  the 
Falls  and  continued  in  this  mind  till  after  Colonel  Crawford's 
expedition.  They  then  changed  their  ground  once  more  and 
determined  to  reduce  Wheeling.  ]\Ir.  McKee  actually  marched 
for  that  purpose  from  the  [Shawanese]  towns  [in  what  is  now 
Logan  county,  Ohio]  with  one  hundred  rangers  (British)  as 
they  are  called  [Capt.  Caldwell's  company],  and  about  three 
hundred  Indians."'  A  day  or  two  after  his  departure  runners 
came  in  who  gave  the  information  that  Gen.  Clark  was  ap- 
proaching with  a  train  of  artillery  and  a  large  body  of  troops. 
The  alarm  was  universally  given  and  expresses  sent  after 
McKee,  who  returned  to  the  town  [AVapatomica].  In  the 
mean  time  Blue  Jacket,  the  Shawanese  chief,  went  himself  to 
reconnoiter  Gen.  Clark.  He  returned  in  six  days  with  a  con- 
firmation of  the  first  report;  on  which  McKee  marched  with 
every  soul  that  could  be  collected;  the  negro  thinks,  in  all 
about  one  thousand,  but  is  of  opinion  that  not  more  than  one- 

1  Alexander  McKee  was  a  native  of  Pensylvania  and  early  became  a  trader 
among  the  Indians,  carrying  on  a  large  business  from  Pittsburgh  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Alexander  Ross,  from  1768  to  1772,  when  he  became  Sir  William 
Johnson's  deputy  Indian  agent,  resident  at  that  place.  He  was,  upon  the 
erection  of  Bedford  county,  made  one  of  its  justices;  and,  upon  the  creation 
of  Westmoreland,  his  commission  was  extended  for  that  county.  Upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  he  was  suspected  of  tory  proclivities  and  was 
put  upon  his  parole;  which  was  afterward  renewed.  Finally,  in  the  spring 
of  1778,  he  fled  (along  with  Matthew  Elliott,  Simon  Girty  and  others)  to  the 
enemy,  reaching  Detroit  at  length,  where  he  was  continued  in  the  Indian  de- 
partment. He  had  his  headquarters,  at  date  of  the  negro's  leaving  the  Indian 
country,  among  the  Shawanese. 

2  That  McKee  after  Crawford's  defeat  left  Lower  Sandusky  for  the  Shawa- 
nese towns  is  certain. 


Aj>j»  ndix  K.  333 

half  of  that  number  were  active,  real  warriors;  as  there  was  a 
great  number  of  boys,  old  men,  and  even  women  who  marched. 
Upon  the  whole  he  does  not  think  more  than  seven  hundred 
were  fit  to  bear  arms,  in  which  number  he  includes  the  hun- 
dred English  [Caldwell's  company].  The  [Shawanese]  towns 
were  quite  evacuated  except  a  few  women  and  children  and 
some  prisoners.  These  were  busily  employed  in  packing  up 
their  effects  to  push  towards  Detroit,  in  case  Gen.  Clark  should 
beat  thteir  warriors,  of  which  they  were  exceedingly  appre- 
hensive. They  were  determined,  however,  to  meet  and  tight 
him  near  the  town  [Piqua,  on  Mad  river,  six  miles  below 
the  present  Springfield,  O.]  he  drove  them  from,  two  years 
ago,  about  forty  miles  from  where  they  now  live. 

The  tribes  assembled  on  this  occasion  were  the  Shawanese, 
Delawares,  "Wyandots,  Mingoes,  Monseys,  Ottawas  and  Chip- 
pewas,  which  include  the  whole  on  this  side  the  Lake  fErie]. 
He  adds  that  every  man  was  there  who  was  able  to  crawl. 
Before  McKee  returned  [from  his  short  march  towards  Wheel- ' 
ing]  he  detached  forty  warriors  with  two  Frenchmen,  with 
orders  to  watch  our  frontiers  and  give  intelligence  of  our 
movements,  particularly  if  an  expedition  was  "  carrying  on 
their  backs,"  as  he  termed  it.1 

From  a  variety  of  circumstances  I  am  led  to  give  credit  to 
the  negro's  account,  particularly  his  mode  of  escape  and  his 
having  lived  two  years  with  Blue  Jacket,  as  much  in  the  char- 
acter of  a  steward  or  manager  as  a  servant;  besides,the  fellow 
tells  a  plain,  connected  history.  As  I  apprehended  a  circula- 
tion of  this  account  through  the  country  may  be  both  satis- 
factory and  useful,  I  have  troubled  you  with  it.  If  you  are 
of  this  opinion,  you  will  please  to  let  it  be  as  generally  known 
as  possible. 

1  After  the  negro  left,  the  enemy  successfully  invaded  Kentucky  and  gained 
the  battle  of  the  Blue  Licks,  in  August.  In  September,  the  expedition 
against  Wheeling  was  renewed  (Zane  to  Irvine,  September  17,  1782,  Appen- 
dix M),  but  it  availed  them  little.  Gen.  Clark  met  the  enemy,  finally,  at 
what  is  now  Piqua,  Miami  county,  Ohio,  on  the  10th  of  November,  1782,  sur- 
prising and  routing  them.  (See  Clark  to  Irvine,  November  13,  1782,  Appen- 
dix M.) 


331f.  'Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

P.  S. —  Mr.  Slover  was  present  when  I  examined  the  negro; 
he  says  he  lived  in  the  family  with  him  at  the  town  [Wapatom- 
ica]  and  thinks  he  may  be  depended  on.1 


XIV. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

September  3,  17S2. 

Sir: — I  herewith  send  you  as  accurate  a  return  as  I  believe 
can  be  made.2  I  have  struck  off  some  that  were  actually 
returned,  to  make  an  allowance  for  lee- way;  and  if  I  can 
depend  upon  the  returns  made  to  me,  which  I  think  there  is 
not  the  least  doubt,  yon  may  rely  on  this.  I  have  col- 
lected the  returns  of  the  second  battalion  from  the  captains 
myself;  and  inclosed  you  have  two  of  the  colonels'  returns, 
which  will  show  you  how  much  I  have  allowed  for  lee- way,  I 
have  no  return  from  the  third  battalion,  but  I  have  received  a  let- 
ter declaring  their  quota  completed.  I  have  allowed  him  [the 
colonel  of  said  battalion]  for  lee- way  fifteen  men  and  ten  horses. 

I  have  hereby  showed  yon  how  I  have  formed  my  judgment 
of  the  matter.  I  have  also  sent  to  the  different  battalions 
and  have  let  them  know  that  they  may  expect  the  rendezvous 
will  be  about  the  15th  instant,  but  that  they  shall  hear  from 
me  when  it  is  absolutely  appointed  or  set. 


XY. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

September  9,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  received  yours  dated  this  day,  and  will  take  every 
effectual  measure  in  my  power  to  have  the  militia  assembled  by 
the  day  appointed.  There  is  a  number  of  them  speaking  to 
me  to  enquire  of  the  general  if  he  can  furnish  them  pistols, 
swords  and  carbines  suitable  for  light  horse  or  cavalry.  I  have 
been  importuned  to  mention  it,  and  you  may  take  what  notice 
you  think  proper  of  it. 

1 1  have  been  able  to  verify  almost  all  the  particulars  of  this  interesting  and 
very  valuable  account  of  the  transactions  of  the  enemy  in  the  Indian  country 
during  the  first  half  of  the  year  1782.  The  negro's  recital  was  singularly 
truthful  and  clear. 

5  "  Return  "  not  found. 


Appendix  IT.  335 


XVI. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

September  1!),  1782. 
Sir : —  I  received  yours  by  express.  Those  I  have  seen  of 
the  volunteers  promise  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  by  the 
time  appointed  to  march  again.  And,  for  further  encourage- 
ment, I  have  promised  them  a  tour  of  duty  for  the  disappoint- 
ment; with  which  they  seem  well  satisfied.  I  have  sent  out 
people  and  taken  every  opportunity  to  give  them  notice  re- 
specting your  order.  I  think  there  will  not  be  that  tardiness 
which  appears  now,  when  the  day  is  appointed  again;  as  they 
will  have  their  provisions,  etc.,  in  a  collective  situation. 


XVII. —  Irvine  to  Cook. 

Fort  Pitt,  October  10,  1782. 
Sir: —  Sundry  uncertain  accounts  have  arrived  here  pur- 
porting that  the  regular  troops  are  countermanded,  and  that  a 
cessation  of  arms  has  taken  place, —  particularly  that  the  In- 
dians are  to  be  restrained  from  committing  depreciations,  and 
much  more,  which,  as  I  have  no  official  accounts,  I  can  give 
no  credit  to.  But  as  some  circumstances  favor  these  reports, 
and  it  is  also  said  David  Tate  has  dispatches  for  me  on  the 
subject,  in  t»rder  to  gain  as  much  time  as  possible  [and  to  save 
the  militia  the  trouble  of  assembling  again  if  unnecessary],1  I 
have  sent  Major  Rose,2  my  aid-de-camp,  to  try  to  meet  him, 
and  with  directions  to  communicate  to  you  as  much  of  the 
contents  as  may  be  necessary  for  your  information  and  govern- 
ment. You  will,  therefore,  please  on  this  occasion  to  give  full 
credit  to  whatever  directions  he  may  give  in  the  matter  as 
if  coming  from  me.3 

1  These  words  in  brackets,  in  another  copy  of  the  same  letter,  are  omitted. 
5  See  p.  261,  note. 

3 This  letter  was  addressed, —  "To  Colonel  Cook  or  Colonel  Marshel,  lieu- 
tenants of  Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties." 


33G  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XVIII. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

At  My  House,  October  11  (3  o'clock),  1782. 

Sir: —  I  am  under  great  difficulties  occasioned  by  reports 
that  Captain  Brady  has  given  out  at  Ilannastown  respecting  a 
cessation  of  arms,  and  the  regulars  who  were  coming  being 
stopped.  It  has  spread  over  the  whole  country  and  produced 
a  general  stagnation  with  respect  to  the  expedition.  There  is 
also  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by  General  Potter  to  Joseph 
Brady,  horsemaster  general,  desiring  him  to  retire,  there  being 
no  further  call  for  him  on  account  of  a  manifesto  published  by 
Carlton,  etc. 

The  account  from  Ilannastown  circulated  by  Captain  Brady 
came  so  well  authenticated  that  I  have  waited  this  whole  day 
for  a  letter  from  yon.  I  was  out  yesterday  and  bought  seven 
beeves  1  and  appointed  a  number  of  people  to  drive  these  cattle 
up  by  to-day.  .  .  .  To-morrow,  I  think  at  all  events  to  go 
on  the  business  again.  I  have  three  coopers  at  work  making 
kegs;  but  if  these  reports  are  groundless  you  will  please  to 
write  me  pretty  fully  on  the  subject,  as  I  will  have  to  send 
over  the  whole  again;  for  the  reports  have  done  much  hurt.  I 
have  heard  of  Captain  Brady's  returning  to  you,  and  having 
heard  no  account,  I  begin  to  conclude  it  must  be  false.     It  is 

1  The  following  is  the  account  receipted,  for  these  cattle : 
"  Brigadier  General  Irvine, 

"In  account  with  Colonel  Edward  Cook,  Dr. 
"  For  beef  cattle  purchased  by  his  request  for  the  expedition,  namely: 

£.  S.  P. 

One  beef  cow  cost,  purchased  of  Win.  Reed 7.  0.  0. 

"    steer  from  William  Walker G.  10.  0. 

"    small  do.  from  James  Sterret 3.  0.  0. 

Two  cows  from  Conrad 11.  0.  0. 

One  bull  from  Paul  Shower 4.  0.  0. 

Thirty-six  kegs  bought  from  sundry  persons :).  12.  0. 

One  cow  from  Ethan  Ellis  5.  10.  0. 

40.     12.    0. 

"  Received  the  amount  of  the  above  account  the  26th  of  October,  1782. 

"Edw.  Cook." 


Appendix  K.  337 

asserted  to  me  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  regular  troops  destined 
here  are  turned  back.  I  am  very  impatient  to  hear  from  yon. 
P.  S. —  I  wrote  a  hasty  line  to  Mr.  Reed  about  horses  and 
referred  him  to  you.  I  expected  to  have  had  an  answer  from 
him  before  now.  I  see  no  prospect  of  getting  horses  here 
other  than  those  already  engaged  by  the  volunteers.  Captain 
Lynn,  whom  we  were  speaking  about,  is  gone  down  the 
country.1 

^his  letter  was  met  by  Colonel  John  Gibson,  one  of  the  "  officer  express  " 
sent  out  to  see  what  caused  the  delay  in  the  coming  up  of  the  regulars  who 
were  expected  for  the  Sandusky  expedition.  The  letter  was  opened  by  him, 
and  upon  it  he  wrote : 

"  Saturday,  12  o'clock. 

"I  took  the  liberty  of  reading  the  letter  and  shall  proceed  on,  having 
learned  nothing  further  than  what  is  contained  in  it.  I  am,  dear  sir,  with 
respect.  Jno.  Gibson,  Col." 

The  following  letter  contains  information  concerning  the  subject  written 
about  by  Cook  to  Irvine  above: 

"Union  Town,  October  10,  1782. 

"  Dear  Sir: —  I  have  been  waiting  your  orders  these  several  days  last  past, 
and  when  come  to  hand  I  know  not  what  to  do.  However,  I  will  always  act 
in  duty  as  far  as  able.  I  have  this  morning  seen  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Gen- 
eral Potter  to  General  Brady  of  the  horsemaster  department,  acquainting  him 
that  General  Carleton  had  issued  a  manifesto  that  the  savages  should  no 
longer  harass  our  frontiers;  on  which  General  Potter  requested  General 
Brady  to  retire,  as  his  assistance  will  not  be  wanting.  However  that  may  be, 
I  know  not.  The  copy  was  certified  by  Parson  Mitchell ;  and  the  bearer  said 
he  saw  the  original.  Yet  I  could  wish  the  expedition  to  proceed,  as  1  am  of 
opinion  it  is  the  only  season  to  distress  the  savage  nations. 

"One  of  the  gentlemen  you  mention  to  be  applied  to  for  assistance  will  be 
in  town  to-day.  I  shall  make  my  address  to  him  agreeably  to  your  request, 
and  doubt  not  of  his  ready  assistance.  Colonel  Morgan  I  mean ;  who  has  ever 
shown  himself  ready  on  such  occasions,  and  whose  influence  is  great  in  his 
own  country. 

"  For  the  particulars  of  the  letter  from  General  Potter,  I  refer  you  to  the  ex- 
press, who  heard  it  read.  If  it  be  possible  I  shall  attend  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber, agreeable  to  your  request,  to  hear  what  they  have  to  say.  I  am,  sir,  with 
sincere  regard,  your  very  humble  servant,  Alexander  McClean. 

"Colonel  Edward  Cook." 
22 


338  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XIX. —  Irvine  to  Cook. 

Fort  Pitt,  October  18,  1782. 

Sir: — I  received  your  letter  by  Sergeant  Porter,  and  one 
last  night  from  Colonel  Marshel,  which  is  full  of  despondency. 
Indeed,  by  all  the  accounts  I  can  collect  it  would  be  vain  to 
insist  on  bringing  the  few  willing  people  to  the  general  ren- 
dezvous, as  there  is  not  the  most  distant  prospect  that  half 
sufficient  would  assemble.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  think 
it  would  be  most  advisable  to  give  up  the  matter  at  once  and 
direct  the  provision  etc.  to  be  restored  to  the  owners. 

It  is  with  the  utmost  reluctance  I  can  prevail  on  myself  to 
give  up  the  point,  but  find  there  is  no  alternative;  for  if  even 
the  regular  troops  should  yet  come,  I  do  not  think  enough  of 
volunteers  would  turn  out  to  join  them.  "Would  it  not  how- 
ever be  well  to  advise  people  generally  to  salt  as  much  meat  as 
possible  this  winter.  If  the  war  continues  there  is  little  doubt 
but  they  will  get  a  good  price  for  it  in  the  spring;  and  if  it 
should  be  peace,  vast  numbers  of  people  will  come  into  and 
travel  through  this  country;  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  a 
good  [bad]  market  whatever  happens. 

I  suppose  the  beeves  you  have  purchased  will  not  lose  any 
thing  for  some  weeks  in  pasture.  As  soon  as  you  think  there 
is  danger  of  that,  I  beg  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  hire  some 
person  to  drive  them  down  here;  charge  the  hire  in  the  beef 
account;  and  as  to  the  kegs,  if  they  cannot  be  disposed  of,  you 
will  please  to  direct  them  to  be  stored  and  branded. 


XX. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

October  19,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — Yours  of  the  18th  inst.  by  Sergeant  Porter  [is 
received].     I  shall  only  mention  for  the  present  that  Colonel 
[Christopher]  Hays  and  myself  mean  to  see  you  about  Friday 
next. 


Appendix  K.  339 


XXI. —  Cook  to  Irvine. 

At  the  New  Town,1  October  30,  1782, 
Sir: — Inclosed  you  have  an  advertisement  respecting  the 
new  state.2  I  hear  of  a  great  many  more  going  to  improve 
lands  on  the  north  of  the  Ohio.3  It  is  a  matter  of  speculation 
among  some  gentlemen  learned  in  the  law  whether  those  im- 
provements may  not  make  a  title,  or  rather  lay  the  foundation 
for  one;  as  there  is  no  express  law  prohibiting  the  settlement, 
and  no  retrospect  laws  can  be  made.  If  it  be  so,  I  think  your 
officers  and  soldiers  ought  to  go  and  mark  by  thousands;  as 
the  only  way  to  fight  a  rascal  is  by  his  own  weapons. 

I  would  beg  leave  to  repeat  the  request  about  the  two  ma- 
sons. I  have  tried  all  I  can  to  get  them  in  the  country  but  to 
no  effect.     Some  time  next  week  would  answer. 


XXII. —  Cook  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stephen  Bayard.4 

Hannastown,  May  15,  1783. 
Sir: —  If  it  were  possible  to  let  the  ranging  company  have 
eight  pounds  powder  and  sixteen  pounds  of  lead,  as  they  are 
entirely  out  of  ammunition,  it  would  be  of  great  service,  as  it 
is  not  known  what  the  danger  may  be. 

1  Laid  out  by  Col.  Cook  and  by  him  named  Freeport.  The  name  was  sub- 
sequently changed  to  Cookstown,  in  honor  of  its  proprietor;  and  again,  by 
act  of  incorporation,  to  Fayette  City.  It  is  fourteen  miles  below  Brownsville, 
on  the  Monongahela,  in  Fayette  county.  It  was  not  settled  for  twelve  years 
after  the  date  of  this  letter. 

2  Beyond  the  Ohio,  in  the  Indian  country,  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Ohio. 

3  Within  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania. 

4  Bayard  was  then  in  command  at  Fort  Pitt.  This  was  just  before  Irvine's 
return  from  Carlisle,  upon  his  second  visit. 


APPENDIX  L. 


IRVINE  TO  HIS  WIFE. 


Fort  Pitt,  November  14,  1781. 

My  Dearest  Love: — I  wrote  you  by  one  Reed  the  other 
day,  just  informing  you  of  my  arrival  here.  You  can  easily 
conceive  of  my  anxiety  to  hear  from  you.  I  hope  some  per- 
son will  come  up  soon  that  will  bring  some  account  from  you. 
We  had  some  extreme  bad  weather  on  the  mountain,  yet  I 
never  felt  less  fatigued  nor  injured  by  a  journey  in  my  life. 

It  is  truly  distressing  to  see  how  this  country  is  laid  waste, 
and  more  so  to  hear  the  lamentations  of  widows  for  their  mur- 
dered husbands  and  children  and  the  husband  for  his  wife  and 
children.1  The  wagons  arrived  this  day  only,  and  we  will  go 
to  house-keeping  to-morrow.  We  have  hitherto  been  at  lodg- 
ings. Colonel  Gibson  talks  of  sending  an  Ohio  pike,  by  way 
of  curiosity,  for  you  and  Mrs.  Callender  to  dine  on.  I  would 
send  some  venison,  but  fear  it  would  not  keep  —  of  which  and 
wild  turkey,  we  have  great  plenty.  I  have  not  now  time  to 
write  Mrs.  Callender,  but  mean  to  do  so  by  an  express  about  a 
week  hence. 

Colonel  Brodhead,  Bayard,  and  other  officers,  will  leave  this 
[post]  in  a  week.2  Every  thing  is  perfectly  quiet  in  this  quar- 
ter, though  not  so  down  at  Kentucky,  where,  it  is  said,  the 
Indians  are  troublesome. 

1  By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  horrors  of  the  western  border  war,  con- 
ducted as  it  was,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  against  men,  women  and 
children,  at  once  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  mind  of  General  Irvine. 

5  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stephen  Bayard  and  others 
left,  though  on  what  day  is  uncertain ;  but  Bayard  returned  to  his  command 
of  the  "detachment  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  "  at  that  post. 


Ajypendix  L.  o.'^l 


II. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  2,  1781. 

My  Dearest  Love: — I  am  still  in  a  doubtful  state  about  my 
dear  little  girl,1  never  having  heard  any  other  account  than 
what  your  letter  contained  by  John  Kerr  ...  I  hope  the 
pike  got  safe  [to  Carlisle].  We  have  great  plenty  of  them  — 
venison  and  turkey  and  other  pretty  good  living.  We  even 
have  a  pack  of  hounds  and  go  frequently  a  hunting. 

There  is  no  appearance  of  Indians  in  this  country  at  pres- 
ent, nor  are  the  people  under  the  smallest  apprehension  before 
April. 

III. 

Fort  Pitt,  December  29,  1781. 
My  Dearest  Lone: — This  day  I  expected  my  express,  but 
there  is,  as  yet,  no  account  of  him,  but  I  hourly  look  for  him. 
The  bearer,  Mr.  Joseph  Bull  [Schebosh],  is  an  elder  of  the 
Moravian  Indian  congregation,  who,  together  with  the  minis- 
ters, converts,  etc.,  had  built  a  pretty  town  and  made  good 
improvements,  and  lived  for  some  years  past,  quite  in  the 
style  of  christian  white  people;  but  were  last  fall  taken  pris- 
oners by  a  party  of  Indians  commanded  by  that  infamous  ras- 
cal, Matt.  Elliott,2  and  carried  away,  to  the  number  of   one 

!Anne,  the  youngest  child.  There  were  then  but  two  children  in  the 
family.  The  eldest  was  a  son  —  Callender,  afterward  father  of  Dr.  Win.  A. 
Irvine,  now  of  Irvine,  Warren  county,  Penn.  The  children  born  subsequently, 
were  William  N.,  Armstrong,  Elizabeth,  Mary  B.,  and  a  daughter  who  died 
in  infancy;  also,  Rebecca,  James  and  John  W.:  in  all,  ten. 

2  Matthew  Elliot  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  He  had  formerly  resided  in 
Pennsylvania,  east  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and  early  engaged  in  the 
Indian  trade,  headquarters  at  Fort  Pitt.  He  was  thus  employed  when  hostil- 
ities began  in  1774,  between  the  Virginians  and  the  Mingoes  and  Shawanese. 
He  remained  in  the  Indian  country  until  after  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant 
and  the  marching  of  Lord  Dunmore  to  the  Scioto  river,  protected  by  the  sav- 
ages. He  was,  in  fact,  their  messenger, —  sent  by  the  Shawanese  asking 
terms  of  peace  with  the  Virginian  governor.  After  the  ending,  of  "  Lord 
Dunmore's  War,"  he  again  traded  from  Fort  Pitt,  with  the  Indians,  beyond 
the  Ohio. 


31$  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

hundred  families  from  their  fine  farms,  into  the  wilderness, 
where  they  are  starving.1  Mr.  Bull  is  going  down  to  Bethle- 
hem to  represent  the  sufferings  of  his  people  to  the  society  of 
the  Moravians.2  I  wish  I  could  appoint  a  day  to  be  with  you, 
but  that  is  impossible. 

On  the  12th  of  November,  1776,  he  made  his  appearance  in  one  of  the 
missionary  establishments  of  the  Moravians  upon  the  Tuscarawas  river, 
with  a  number  of  horse- loads  of  merchandise,  also  a  female  Indian  com- 
panion, and  a  hired  man,  on  his  way  to  the  Shawanese  towns  upon  the  Scioto. 
He  left  the  next  day,  but  was  followed  by  a  party  of  six  warriors  from  San- 
dusky and  made  prisoner,  his  goods  being  distributed  among  the  Indians. 
He  was  taken  to  Detroit,  where  he  succeeded  in  convincing  the  commandant 
of  that  post  of  his  tory  proclivities;  was  given  a  commission  as  captain  and 
sent  back  to  Pittsburgh  as  a  spy.  Here  he  remained  some  time,  poisoning 
the  minds  of  such  as  would  listen  to  his  seductive  words ;  and,  subsequently, 
in  company  with  Alexander  McKee  and  Simon  Girty,  fled  from  Pittsburgh ; 
making  his  way  to  the  Delawares  first;  then,  to  the  Shawanese ;  and,  finally, 
to  Sandusky  and  Detroit.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1778.  In  August  of 
that  year,  he  was  attainted  of  high  treason  by  Pennsylvania. 

As  an  otEcer  in  the  British  Indian  department  at  Detroit,  he  served  during 
the  revolution,  vibrating  between  that  post  and  the  country  of  the  Ohio 
Indians. 

1  This  is  an  account  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  Moravian  mission  upon  the 
Tuscarawas  about  the  1st  of  September,  1781,  by  a  party  of  Indians  from 
the  Sandusky  river,  where  the  missionaries  and  their  families  were  carried 
together  with  the  Moravian  Indians.  These  finally  located  in  October  of  that 
year,  it  will  be  remembered,  at  a  point  a  little  over  two  miles  south  of  the 
present  county-seat  of  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  but  on  the  opposite  (east  side) 
of  the  stream,  where  they  prepared  to  spend  the  winter.  (Ante,  pp.  59,  60.) 
They  were,  however,  in  a  starving  condition. 

2  A  number  of  Moravian  Indians,  led  by  Mr.  Bull,  were,  because  of  the 
scarcity  of  provisions  upon  the  Sandusky,  permitted  by  the  Wyandots,  during 
the  latter  part  of  October,  1782,  to  return  to  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas,  to 
gather  some  of  the  corn  left  standing  in  the  fields  by  the  missionaries  and 
their  Indians.  After  Mr.  Bull  and  his  party  arrived  in  the  valley,  they  set  to 
work  harvesting  the  crop;  finally,  all,  except  five  of  their  number  and  their 
leader,  after  some  hard  labor,  started  back  with  about  four  hundred  bushels 
of  corn,  reaching  the  Sandusky  in  safety.  Not  so  the  six  who  remained  be- 
hind. A  small  party  pursuing  some  hostile  savages  who  had  been  raiding 
into  the  settlements,  followed  the  tracks  of  the  latter  to  the  Tuscarawas, 
where,  at  New  Schcenbrunn,  Mr.  Bull  and  his  five  "  Moravians  "  were  found 
and  captured.  "  The  genercus  and  humane  officer  "  commanding  those  in 
pursuit  of  the  marauding  Indians,  "on  finding  that  they  [Mr.  Bull  and  his 
five   'Moravians']  were   not  of   the  enemy,"  took  them  back  with  him. 


Apjyendix  L.  3^3 


IV. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  12,  1782. 

My  Dearest  Love: — I  received  your  two  letters  by  Captain 
[Major  Isaac]  Craig  and  Mr.  Hughes;  I  am,  therefore,  in  ar- 
rears in  the  letter  way;  but  the  fault  is  not  in  me,  being  [as  I 
am]  extremely  anxious  to  inform  you  of  my  arrival  here,  but 
I  have  not  had  a  single  opportunity.  I  had  very  cold  weather, 
though  dry,  and  made  a  speedy  march.  I  got  up  [here]  the 
Monday  [March  25,  1782]  after  I  left  you.  One  of  my  horses 
took  lame  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave  him  about  half  way. 

Things  were  in  a  strange  state  when  I  arrived.  A  number 
of  the  country  people  had  just  returned  from  the  Moravian 
towns,  about  one  hundred  miles  distant,  where,  it  is  said,  they 
did  not  spare  either  age  or  sex.  What  was  more  extraordinary, 
they  did  it  in  cool  blood,  having  deliberated  three  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  they  were  industrious  in  collecting  all  hands 
into  their  churches  (they  had  embraced  Christianity),  when 
they  fell  on  them  while  they  were  singing  hymns  and  killed 
the  whole.  Many  children  were  killed  in  their  wretched 
mothers'  arms.  Whether  this  was  right  or  wrong,  I  do  not 
pretend  to  determine. 

Things  were  still  in  greater  confusion  nearer  home  [mean- 
ing nearer  Fort  Pitt] ;  for,  on  the  morning  [of  March  24th] 
before  my  arrival  here,  a  party  of  militia  attacked  some 
friendly  Indians,  who  were  not  only  under  our  protection  but 
several  actually  had   commissions  in  our  service — at  the  very 

They  afterward  reached  Fort  Pitt,  where  Gen.  Irvine  set  them  at  liberty;  the 
"Moravians"  being  allowed  to  return  to  the  Sandusky  and  Mr.  Bull  to 
Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania. 

The  party  that  followed  the  trail  of  the  retreating  savages  from  the  Ohio 
river  to  New  Schoenbrunn,  was  under  command  of  Capt.  John  Biggs.  Mr. 
Bull  and  his  fellow  prisoners  were  first  taken  to  Fort  Henry;  thence  to 
Fort  Pitt,  where  they  were  treated  very  kindly  by  General  Irvine,  and  finally 
released,  as  just  mentioned.  (See  Appendix  M, —  Seidel  to  Irvine,  April  11, 
1782;  and  the  answer  of  Irvine,  May  8,  following.)  The  regulars  who  were 
relieved  by  Lieut.  John  Hay,  of  the  Washington  county  militia  (ante.  p.  280, 
note  3),  guarded  the  six  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt,  during  the  first  week  in 
December. 


3^4  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

nose  of  the  garrison,  on  a  small  island  in  the  river —  of  whom 
they  killed  several,1  and  also  made  prisoners  of  a  guard  of 
continental  troops,  and  sent  Colonel  Gibson  a  message  that 
they  would  also  scalp  him.  A  thousand  lies  are  propagated 
all  over  the  country  against  him,  poor  fellow,  I  am  informed. 
The  whole  is  occasioned  by  his  unhappy  connection  with  a 
certain  tribe,  which  leads  people  to  imagine,  for  this  reason, 
that  he  has  an  attachment  to  Indians  in  general.  However 
false  this  reasoning  may  be,  yet  no  reasoning  will  or  can  con- 
vince people  to  the  contrary.2 

People  who  have  had  fathers,  mothers,  brothers  or  children, 
butchered,  tortured,  scalped,  by  the  savages,  reason  very  dif- 
ferently on  the  subject  of  killing  the  Moravians  [that  is,  the 
Moravian  Indians],  to  what  people  who  live  in  the  interior 
part  of  the  country  in  perfect  safety  do.  Their  feelings  are 
very  different.3  Whatever  your  private  opinion  of  these  mat- 
ters may  be,  I  conjure  you  by  all  the  ties  of  affection  and  as 
you  value  my  reputation,  that  you  will  keep  your  mind  to  your- 
self, and  that  }'ou  will  not  express  any  sentiment  for  or  against 
these  deeds; — as  it  may  be  alleged,  the  sentiments   you  ex- 

1  As  this  event  occurred  on  the  24th  of  March  and  the  return  of  Williamson 
and  his  men  from  the  Tuscarawas  was  considerable  time  before  it  is  very 
plain  that  the  two  transactions  had  no  connection  whatever  (ante,  p.  102, 
note  1),  a  constant  reiteration  in  western  histories  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. 

2  The  following  extract  is  from  a  deposition  by  John  Sappington  to  be  found 
in  Jefferson's  Notes  (new  ed.,  1853),  p.  268: 

"  I  was  intimately  acquainted  with  General  [John]  Gibson,  and  served  un- 
der him  during  the  late  war,  and  I  have  a  discharge  from  him  now  lying  in 
the  land  office  at  Richmond,  to  which  I  refer  any  person  for  my  character,  who 
might  be  disposed  to  scruple  my  veracity.  .  .  .  I  do  not  believe  that  Lo- 
gan had  any  relations  killed,  except  his  brother  [at  the  killing  of  the  Mingoes, 
June  30,  1774,  at  Baker's  Bottom,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek]. 
Neither  of  the  squaws  who  were  killed  was  his  wife.  Two  of  them  were  old 
women,  and  the  third  with  her  child  which  was  saved,  I  have  the  best  reason 
in  the  world  to  believe  was  the  wife  and  child  of  General  Gibson.  I  know  he 
educated  the  child  and  took  care  of  it  as  if  it  had  been  his  own." 

3  It  is  to  be  inferred  from  this  language  of  Irvine  that  tin1  killing  of  the 
Moravian  Indians  was  not  generally  denounced  by  the  suffering  bordermen  — 
by  those  who  had  "  had  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  or  children,  butchered,  tor- 
tured, scalped,  by  the  savages."    But  Col.  Edward  Cook  (who  lived  however 


Appendix  L.  31^5 

press  may  come  from  me  or  be  mine.  No  man  knows  whether 
I  approve  or  disapprove  of  killing  the  Moravians. 

I  called  a  meeting  of  most  of  the  principal  militia  officers. 
They  were  convened  here  last  Friday.  After  long-  conferences, 
which  lasted  near  two  days,  they  parted  seemingly  pleased 
with  the  plans  I  proposed  to  adopt  for  the  protection  of  the 
country  and  promised  they  would  support  me.1  I  have  also 
been  fortunate  enough  to  suppress  the  mutinous  disposition  of 
the  troops  without  blood-shedding.  From  all  this,  you  will 
make  yourself  easy  respecting  my  present  safety. 

Some  people  are  killed  and  some  taken,  by  the  Indians,  in 
almost  every  quarter.  I  lost  five  of  my  men,  a  few  days  since, 
who  were  wood-cutting  and  carelessly  laid  down  their  arms  to 
load  the  wagon,  when  a  party  rushed  on  them.  This  was  at  a 
fort  [Mcintosh]  we  have  thirty  miles  down  the  river. 

Whether  my  mind  may  change  or  not,  1  cannot  say,  but 
from  the  state  of  things  at  present  1  would  not  consent  for  the 


rather  more  "  in  the  interior  part  of  the  country"),  writing  to  the  governor  of 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  second  clay  of  September  following,  says: 

"  I  am  informed  that  yon  have  it  reported  that  the  massacre  of  the  Mora- 
vian Indians  obtains  the  approbation  of  every  man  on  this  side  the  mountains, 
which  I  assure  your  excellency  is  false;  that  the  better  part  of  the  community 
are  of  opinion  the  perpetrators  of  that  wicked  deed  ought  to  be  brought  to 
condign  punishment;  that  without  something  is  done  by  government  in  the 
matter,  it  will  disgrace  the  annals  of  the  United  States,  and  be  an  everlasting 
plea  and  cover  for  British  cruelty." 

There  was,  also,  a  man  in  Pittsburgh,  though  not  a  suffering  borderer,  who 
wrote  very  freely  to  his  friends  in  disapprobation  of  the  killing  of  the  Moravian 
Indians,  as  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his  letters  clearly  shows: 

"The  Pennsylvania  militia  formed  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  about 
three  months  ago ;  but,  instead  of  going  against  the  enemies  of  the  country, 
they  turned  their  thoughts  on  a  robbing,  plundering,  murdering  scheme,  on 
our  well-known  friends,  the  Moravian  Indians,  all  of  whom  they  murdered  in 
the  most  cool  and  deliberate  manner  (after  living  with  them  apparently  in  a 
friendly  manner  for  three  days),  men,  women,  and  children;  in  all,  ninety- 
three  tomahawked,  scalped  and  burned,  except  one  boy,  who,  after  being 
scalped,  made  his  escape  to  the  Delaware  Indians  (relatives  of  the  Moravians), 
who  have  ever  since  been  exceeding  cruel  to  all  prisoners  they  have  taken." — 
Major  William  Croghan  to  William  Davies,  Virginia  Secretary  at  War,  July 
6,  1782. 

1  Ante,  pp.  104,  284,  323. 


SJfi  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

universe  to  your  coming  up  [here].  If  your  sister  [Mrs. 
"William]  Xeill  lives  in  the  country  this  summer  and  you  could 
accomplish  taking  the  children  with  you,  I  should  have  no  ob- 
jection to  your  spending  some  weeks  with  her.  .  .  Major 
Craicj  brought  me  two  shirts. 


y. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  1,  1782. 

My  Dearest  Love: —  I  wrote  you  yesterday  by  Captain  Yan- 
lear.  By  him,  I  also  wrote  Mr.  [William]  USTeill  [Irvine's 
brother-in-law]  on  business  of  his. 

I  received  advices  two  days  ago  by  express  from  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, which  creates  a  kind  of  suspicion  that  it  is 
more  than  probable  I  shall  not  be  much  longer  at  this  place, 
at  this  time,  than  till  the  latter  end  of  July.  From  that  time, 
perhaps,  I  may  be  absent  till  the  first  of  November.  But  this 
is  as  yet  uncertain  and  undetermined.  As  to  sending  for  you 
under  these  circumstances,  I  cannot  think  of  it.  .  .  This 
is  the  most  wretched  and  miserable  vile  hole  ever  man  dwelt 
in;  and  for  a  woman,  of  any  credit,  delicacy,  or  humanity,  I 
never  saw  such  another. 

My  time  is  employed  in  the  best  manner  I  can  think  of; 
sometimes,  trying  to  bring  into  some  order  and  discipline  the 
rascally,  abandoned  troops;  at  other  times,  riding,  walking, 
hunting;  and  at  others,  gardening.  But  this,  Mr.  Rose  and 
his  man  Henry  attend  particularly  to.  I  assure  you  we  have 
a  pretty  good  garden,  such  as  would  pass  with  you  as' tolera- 
ble. How  elegant  our  peas  are —  thick  and  fine!  and  we  have 
wild  tongue-grass,  asparagus,  and  a  variety  of  fine  greens  in 
great  abundance. 

There  is  no  school,  which  is  another  grand  objection  [to 
your  coming],  as  this  is  the  time  your  dear  son  [Callender] 
should  not  lose  an  hour.  Perhaps  things  may  take  a  favorable 
turn.  I  am  heartily  tired  and  almost  worn  down  with  people 
coming  daily  for  protection  and  assistance. 


Appendix  L.  SJfl 


VI. 


Fort  Pitt,  May  10,  1782. 

My  Dearest  Love: — I  have  nothing  new  since  I  wrote  you 
by  Mr.  Duncan.  I  got  your  little  pathetic  letter  by  Mr. 
Ormsby. 

How  little,  my  love,  you  must  reflect  on  the  hardships  and 
sufferings  that  thousands  undergo,  ten  thousand  fold  more 
grievous  than  yours,  if  possible.  Consider  what  anguish  must 
the  poor,  wretched  mother  feel  who  has  a  tomahawk  struck 
into  her  infant's  head  while  in  her  arms;  and  what  is  yet 
worse,  some  have  their  infants  carried  off  they  know  not  where 
nor  for  what  purpose.  The  most  hope  they  can  have  is  that 
they  maybe  living,  but  for  what  purpose  —  why,  at  best,  to  be 
brought  up  as  savages,  which  I  think  worse  than  death.1 

When  you  think  seriously  of  these  things,  and  much  more 
I  might  enumerate,  [you  will  see  your  condition  in  a  more 
favorable  light].  I  dare  say  you  see  daily  instances  of  peo- 
ple—  your  neighbors  around  —  who,  on  many  accounts,  are 
more  distressed  than  yourself.  You  know  no  real  want,  except 
a  separation  from  me.  My  labors  and  exertions  in  the  cause  of 
my  country  and  particularly  my  endeavors  at  this  moment  to 
avert  some  of  the  evils  I  have  now  mentioned,  from  some  hun- 
dreds of  [people  of]  this  country, —  though  I  do  not  reap  many 
benefits  or  emoluments  [therefrom],  the  da}'  must  come  when 
some  of  my  family  must  reap  the  rewards  due  my  toils,  in  one 
way  or  other.  This,  however,  ought  to  be  a  consolation,  that 
whether  matters  turn  out  well  or  not  in  the  end,  I  have  done 
for  the  best. 


VII. 


Fort  Pitt,  May  21,  1782. 
My  Dearest  Love: — I  received  }rour  letter  by  Mr.  Reed  and 
will  write  you  by  him  when  he  goes  again,  which  he  says  will 

'The  horrors  of  the  western  border  war  are,  in  these  few  words,  strikingly 
and  truthfully  depicted. 


3Jf.S  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

be  in  about  a  week.     I  stand  much  in  need  of  a  pair  or  two  of 
thread-stockings  and  gloves —  none  to  be  got  here. 

I  had  some  intention  last  week  to  go  with  a  party  of  volun- 
teer militia  against  an  Indian  town  [Sandusky]  but  have  now 
given  up  thoughts  of  it,1  Mr.  Rose,  however,  marched  this 
morning.  The  town  [Upper  Sandusky]  is  upwards  of  two 
hundred  miles  distant  from  this  place.  It  will  be  near  a 
month  before  he  can  possibly  return.2  In  the  mean  time  I  will 
apply  myself  close  to  gardening  and  making  improvements  on 
a  spot  over  the  river,  which  I  hope  to  procure  for  Callender  — 
'tis  a  lovely  spot  indeed. 


VIII. 


Fort  Pitt,  June  15,  1782. 
My  Dearest  Love: — It  is  long  indeed  since  I  heard  from 
you.  I  have  expected  Mr.  Duncan  a  fortnight.  Mr.  Rose  re- 
turned last  night  from  the  expedition  with  the  militia  against 
the  Indian  town  Sandusky,  but  was  unsuccessful.  They 
fought  part  of  two  days,  but  were  obliged  to  retreat  without 
destroying  the  town,  but  lost  only  about  forty  men  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing.  Mr.  Rose's  horse  was  wounded.3  As 
I  am  not  certain  of  a  sure  conveyance  for  this  I  will  not  add 
[any  thing  more]. 

1  The  enterprise  here  spoken  of  was  the  expedition  under  Colonel  William 
Crawford.    The  following  relates  to  this  expedition : 

"  Bedford,  May  18,  1782. 
"Sir:  ...  On  my  way  from  the  Standing  Stone,  I  met  sundry  per- 
sons who  came  from  the  Monongahela  and  Washington  county;  all  of  them 
agree  in  reporting  that  a  party  consisting  of  upwards  of  six  hundred  volun- 
teers are  going  against  Sandusky  and  are  to  meet  to-morrow  at  Mingo  Bottom 
[on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio],  in  order  to  cross  the  [Ohio]  on  their  way  to  that 
place." — JJenard  Dougherty  to  Pres't  Moore. 

-  See  letter  following,  as  to  the  return  of  "Mr.  Rose." 

3  This  is  the  only  place  I  remember  ever  to  have  seen  this  fact  stated. 


APPENDIX  M. 


MISCELLANEOUS  CORRESPONDENCE. 


I. —  Colonel  John  Gibson1  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  January  28,  1782. 
Dear  General: — Your   letter   from  Proctor's  by  Ensign 
Morrison,  with  the  money  therein  mentioned,  came  safe  to 

1  John  Gibson  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  May  23,  1740.  He 
received  a  classical  education,  and  was  an  excellent  scholar  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  when  he  entered  the  service.  His  first  campaign  was  under  General 
Forbes,  in  the  expedition  which  resulted  in  the  acquisition  of  Fort  Duquesne  — 
afterward  Fort  Pitt  —  from  the  French.  He  then  settled  at  Pittsburgh  as 
a  trader.  War  broke  out  in  1763  with  the  Indians,  and  Gibson  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver  in  what  is  now  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania, 
together  with  two  men  who  were  in  his  employ.  They  were,  at  the  time,  de- 
scending the  Ohio  in  a  canoe.  One  of  his  men  was  immediately  tortured  at 
the  stake,  and  the  other  shared  the  same  fate  as  soon  as  the  party  reached 
the  Kanawha.  Gibson,  however,  was  preserved  by  an  aged  squaw,  and 
adopted  by  her  in  the  place  of  a  son  who  had  been  killed  in  battle.  In 
1764,  he  was  given  up  by  the  Indians  to  Col.  Bouquet,  when  he  again  settled 
at  Pittsburgh,  resuming  his  occupation  of  trading  with  the  Indians. 

In  1774,  Gibson  acted  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  expedition  against  the 
Shawanese,  under  Lord  Dunmore;  particularly  in  negotiating  the  peace  which 
followed.  It  was  upon  this  occasion,  near  the  waters  of  the  Scioto  river,  in 
what  is  now  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  that  Logan,  the  Mingo  chief,  made  to 
him  the  speech  so  celebrated  in  history. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  Gibson  was  the  western  agent  of 
Virginia,  at  Pittsburgh.  After  the  treaty  held  in  the  fall  of  1775,  at  that 
place,  between  the  Dektwares  and  the  representatives  of  the  Shawanese  and 
Senecas  on  the  one  part,  and  the  commissioners  of  the  American  congress  on 
the  other  part,  by  which  the  neutrality  of  the  first  mentioned  tribe  was  se- 
cured, he  undertook  a  tour  to  the  western  Indians  in  the  interests  of  peace. 
Upon  his  return,  he  entered  the  continental  service,  rising,  finally,  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  13th  Virginia  regiment,  at  Fort  Pitt,  in  the  summer  of  1778,  ho 
having  previously  seen  service  east  of  the  mountains.  He  remained  at  that 
post  from  that  date  until  the  close  of  the  war,  having  several  times  the  chief 
command,  though  temporarily,  of  the  fort  and  its  dependencies.     For  his  ser- 


350  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

hand.1  Agreeable  to  your  instructions,  I  have  delivered  to 
each  of  them  thirty-six  pounds  [sterling],  and  am  in  hopes 
they  will  be  able  to  enlist  a  number  of  men. 

Since  you  left  us,  nothing  material  has  happened  only  that 
the  pork  from  Hannastown,  which  Mr.  Iluffnagle  had  engaged, 
did  not  arrive,  and  we  were  for  three  days  without  a  single 
ounce  of  meat.  However,  the  country  people  begin  now  to 
bring  it  in  pretty  fast,  and  when  Wilson  [one  of  the  contract- 
ors] arrives  I  am  in  hopes  we  shall  be  well  supplied. 

I  have  engaged  [John]  Small  to  saw  the  plank  for  the  plat- 
form, and  as  soon  as  the  weather  permits  I  shall  begin  to 
make  the  repairs  you  pointed  out  to  me. 

You  must  have  had  a  disagreeable  jaunt  down  the  country, 
as  the  weather  was  excessive  cold  and  the  roads  very  bad.  I 
could  have  wished  you  had  staid  until  the  snow  fell,  as  it 
made  the  roads  much  better;  but  I  hope  by  this  time  you  have 
overcome  your  fatigue  and  are  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of 
your  family  and  friends.  Captain  [Isaac]  Craig  will  deliver 
you  this,  to  whom  I  beg  leave  to  refer  for  the  news  at  Fort 
Pitt.  Major  [Frederick]  Vernon  and  Captain  [Samuel]  Brady 
go  with  him.2  Captain  Carnahan  is  still  here.  lie  talks 
of  setting  off  in  a  few  days.  I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from 
you  by  every  opportunity  and  especially  if  the  match  between 
Mrs.  Callender  and  Colonel  [Stephen]  Bayard  is  broken  off. 
Please  present  my  most  respectful  compliments  to  Mrs.  Irvine 
and  family,  Major  Rose,  and  the  gentlemen  of  Carlisle.3 

vices,  a  Virginia  military  land  warrant  was  issued  before  December  31,  1784. 
He  remained  in  the  west  and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed 
the  constitution  of  Pennsylvania  in  1790;  and,  subsequently,  was  a  judge  of 
Alleghany  county,  that  state;  also  a  major-general  of  militia.  He  was  sec- 
retary of  the  territory  of  Indiana  until  it  became  a  state,  and,  by  virtue  of 
his  office,  was,  at  one  time,  its  acting  governor.  He  died  at  Braddock's  Field, 
in  Alleghany  county,  April  10,  1*22.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  a 
pensioner  under  the  act  of  March  18,  1818. 

1  Not  found.  It  was  written  by  Irvine  on  his  way  over  the  mountains  from 
Fort  Pitt.  Proctor's  was  on  the  old  Forbes  road,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pa. 

*  Craig  soon  returned  to  Fort  Pitt  (ante,  p.  343).  Captain  Brady  also  came 
back  (ante,  p.  319,  note;  also,  p.  336). 

'This  letter  was  directed  to  Irvine,  at  Carlisle.     It  will  be  remembered  that 


Appendix  M. 


II. —  Captain  John  Finley  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  Saturday  Evening,  February  2,  1782. 
Dear  General: — This  evening  we  are  informed  that  the 
troops  which  compose  this  garrison,  intend  to   mutiny,  and 
have  appointed  Monday  next  to  put  it  into  execution.     It  ap- 
pears to  be  general  throughout  all  the  corps.     Mr.  TannehilPs 

before  leaving  Fort  Pitt,  he  placed  Gibson  in  temporary  command  of  the  post 
(ante,  p.  85,  note).  During  his  absence,  the  following  orders  were  issued  (at 
the  dates  therein  given)  by  Gibson: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  January  16,  1782. 
"  Orders.      Colonel  Gibson   commanding.      The  colonel-commandant  re- 
quests the  favor  of  the  officers  of  the  day  and  guards  at  dinner  in  future." 

"Fort  Pitt,  January  26,  1782. 

"  Orders.  The  troops  in  this  district  will  be  mustered  between  the  fourth 
[first]  and  fifth  of  next  month.  The  officers  commanding  corps  will  have  as 
many  of  their  number  present  as  possible.  Officers  commanding  companies 
will  have  muster  rolls  made  out  to  the  first  of  Feb'y  1782.  The  artillery  will 
be  mustered  on  the  first  of  the  month;  the  7th  Virginia  regiment  on  the  second; 
and  the  Pennsylvania  detachment  on  the  fourth.  John  Finley,  S.  I." 

"A  detachment  will  parade  to-morrow  morning  at  troop-beating  for  a 
command  of  two  weeks.     Detail : 

S[ubaltern].  S[erg't].  D[rum].  R[ank  and  F[ile], 

"  Pennsylvania  detachment — 1.  0.  0.  9. 

"  Lieutenant  [Samuel]  Reed  for  command." 

"Fort  Pitt,  January  27,  1782. 
"Orders.  Captain  Clark,  commanding.  A  garrison  court-martial  will  set 
to-morrow  morning  at  ten  o'clock  for  the  trial  of  Richard  Richards,  matross 
in  Captain  [Isaac]  Craig's  company  of  artillery.  Captain  [Uriah]  Springer 
will  preside:  members  —  Captain  [James]  Lloyd,  Lieutenant  Crawford,  Lieu- 
tenant [Jacob]  Coleman,  Lieutenant  [Henry]  Dawson." 

"Fort  Pitt,  January  30,  1782. 
"  Orders.  Captain  Clark,  commanding.  At  a  garrison  court-martial  where- 
of Captain  Springer  was  president,  Richard  Richards,  a  matross  in  Captain 
Craig's  company  of  artillery,  was  tried  for  being  out  of  the  garrison  after 
tattoo  beating  and  abusing  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Pittsburgh; — no 
positive  evidence  appearing  against  him  in  support  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
charge,  the  court  acquit  [him]  of  it,  but  find  him  guilty  of  being  out  of  the 
garrison  after  tattoo  beating  and  sentence  him  to  receive  fifty  lashes  on  his 
bare  back  by  the  drummer  of  the  garrison.  The  commandant  approves  the 
sentence ;  and  it  [the  punishment]  is  to  take  place  this  evening  at  retreat 
beating." 


358  Washington-Irvine  C Correspondence. 

not  bringing  mone}7  to  pay  them  appears  to  be  their  reason  for 
such  conduct.  They  have  been  repeatedly  told  that  3-011  would 
bring  money  with  you  to  pay  them,  but  they  will  not  believe 
it.  I  dread  the  consequences,  and  am  afraid  it  will  be  at- 
tended with  the  loss  of  some  lives  should  they  attempt  to 
march  off,  which  I  think  they  will  do.  The  officers  seem  de- 
termined to  use  every  strategem  to  prevent  it,  and  put  a  stop 
to  it  before  that  time;  and  if  they  still  persist,  we  must  try 
what  force  we  can  collect  to  oppose  them.  I  will  write  you 
more  fully  by  Mr.  Duncan;  he  intends  to  leave  this  post  on 
the  tenth  instant.  I  am  busy  mustering  and  inspecting  the 
troops,  and  hope  will  have  the  abstract  ready  to  send  by  Mr. 
Duncan. 

"  Fokt  Pitt,  February  12,  1782. 
"A  muster  roll  of  the  corps  belonging  to  this  detachment  tor  the  month  of 
January,  1782,  [is]  to  be  given  to  Mr.  Tannehill  immediately,  that  he  may  be 
enabled  to  draw  the  subsistence  and  settle  the  accounts  of  provisions,  agree- 
able to  the  instructions  of  the  paymaster  general." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  February  17, 1782. 
"A  detachment  from  the  troops  of  this  garrison  [is]  to  parade  this  evening, 
with  their  packs  for  a  command  of  two  weeks.     Lieutenant  [John]  Harrison 
will  command  the  detachment: 

"  S[ubaltern].  S[erg1t].  C[orporal].  D[rum].  R[ank]. 

"0.  0.  1.  0.  7.— Detachment; 

"0.  0.  0.  0.  6.— Guard." 

"  Fort  Pitt,  February  20,  1782. 
"  The  shoes  which  are  arrived  for  the  department  are,  agreeable  to  the  re- 
turns, to  be  divided  as  follows:  to  the  7th  Virginia  regiment,  forty-six  pairs; 
to  the  detachment  Pennsylvania  line,  thirty-eight  pairs;  to  Captain  Craig's 
company,  twelve  pairs.  The  officers  commanding  corps  are  requested  to  be 
very  particular  in  delivering  them  to  such  as  are  most  employed  on  duty  and 
fatigue. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  repeated  orders  to  the  contrary,  the  commanding 
officer  is  sorry  to  see  so  much  remissness  in  attending  the  parade.  He  requests 
that  particular  attention  will  be  paid  by  every  one  to  the  former  orders  issued 
by  General  Irvine,  and  that  in  particular  the  rolls  may  be  called  after  tattoo 
beating,  and  that  all  such  as  are  absent  at  any  time  at  roll-calling  may  bo 

confined." 

"Fort  Pitt,  February  22,  1782. 

"  A  garrison  court-martial  is  to  sit  to-morrow  for  the  trial  of  such  prisoners 

as  may  be  brought  before  it.    Captain  Clark  is  appointed  president;  Captain 

[Benjamin]  Biggs,  Captain-Lieutenant  [William]  Martin,  Lieutenant  [John] 

Ward,  and  Lieutenant  [Jacob]  Springer,  members." 


Appendix  M.  353 

I  am  apprehensive  from  the  information  which  Mr.  Tanne- 
hill  gives  me  that  I  shall  get  no  clothing.  lie  tells  me  he 
could  get  but  little  satisfaction  from  General  Lincoln.  After 
making  a  return  of  the  officers  of  every  rank  at  this  post, 
nothing  but  the  muster  abstract  was  handed  to  the  clothier 
general,  where  I  find  I  was  mustered  on  command  to  join  my 
regiment.  I  hope  you  will  set  the  matter  in  a  clear  light  to 
the  minister  at  war,  as  he  may  not  know  that  you  ordered  me 
to  remain  here.1 

There  must  have  been  some  mistake  in  the  calculation  of 
the  officers'  subsistence  at  this  post;  they  have  sent  but  9d.  £ 
per  ration,  and  we  are  obliged  to  pay  the  contractors  eleven 
pence  half  penny  per  ration.  I  hope  you  will  represent  this 
matter  to  the  paymaster  general.  Mr.  Tannehill  informs  me 
he  will  write  the  first  opportunity  to  Mr.  [John]  Pierce  [pay- 
master  general]  concerning  it.  I  will  be  happy  to  see  you  at 
this  post  again. 

P.  S. —  Col.  Gibson  is  apprehensive  that  the  gentleman  that 
carries  this  letter  will  delay  on  the  road,  and  does  not  write, 
as  he  expects  a  speedier  conveyance  shortly.2 


III. —  George  Gibson  to  Irvine. 

York,  February  5,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — Mr.  Lowrey3  is  of  opinion  that  it  will  be  al- 
most impracticable  to  make  a  wagon   road  from  Sandusky  to 
Detroit  until  the  summer  month   begins,  the  country  being 


'The  following  is  the  order  referred  to: 

"  Fort  Pitt,  December  15,  1781. 

"  Captain  John  Finley  is  appointed  to  do  the  duty  of  brigade  major  and 
inspector  at  this  post  and  its  dependencies  till  further  orders,  in  the  room  of 
Captain  Joseph  [L.]  Finley,  who  is  ordered  [as  a  supernumerary]  to  join  his 
regiment  in  the  line." 

2  This  letter  was  addressed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle. 

3  Alexander  Lowrey,  the  son  of  Lazarus  Lowrey.  He  was  born  in  the  north 
of  Ireland,  in  December,  1727.  His  parents,  with  several  elder  children, 
came  to  America  in  1729,  and  settled  in  Donegal  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania.  His  father  became  an  Indian  trader,  which  occupation  Alex- 
ander entered  about  1748,  in  partnership  with  Joseph  Simon  of  the  town  of 

23 


3-5 Jf.  Washingtonr-Trmne  Correspondence. 

low,  level  and  swampy,  many  small  rivulets  that  disembogue 
into  Sandusky  river  being  in  the  spring  swelled  to  large,  deep 
streams.  lie  is  certain  that  it  would  be  exceeding  tedious  and 
not  to  be  done  without  much  labor. 

He  laj's  down  the  following  route:  Embark  the  armament 
at  Fort  Pitt  during  the  spring  freshets.     Go  down  the  Ohio  to 

Lancaster, —  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians  being  at  that  period  quite  lucra- 
tive. The  connection  with  Mr.  Simon,  continuing  for  forty  years,  was  finally 
closed  and  settled  without  a  word  of  difference  between  them,  with  large 
gains  resulting,  over  many  and  severe  losses  from  Indian  depredations  on  their 
trains  and  trading  posts. 

Mr.  Lowrey  was,  from  the  first,  outspoken  and  ardent  for  separation  from 
the  mother  country.  In  July,  1774,  he  was  placed  on  the  committee  of  cor- 
respondence for  Lancaster,  and  was  a  member  of  the  provincial  conference 
held  in  Philadelphia  on  the  15th  of  that  month;  and  of  that  convened  in 
Carpenters'  Hall,  18th  of  June,  1776;  also  of  the  convention  of  the  15th  of 
July  following.  He  was  chosen  to  the  assembly  in  1775,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  or  three  years,  served  as  a  member  of  that  body  almost  uninter- 
ruptedly until  1789.  Tn  May,  1777.  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners 
to  procure  blankets  for  the  army.  In  177G,  he  commanded  the  third  bat- 
talion of  the  Lancaster  County  Associators,  and  was  in  active  service  in  the 
Jerseys  during  that  year.  As  senior  colonel  he  commanded  the  Lancaster 
county  militia  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  At  the  close  of  the  revolution, 
Colonel  Lowrey  retired  to  his  fine  farm  adjoining  Marietta.  Under  the  con- 
stitution of  1789-90,  he  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Mifflin  justice  of  the 
peace,  an  office  he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  :Jlst  of  January, 
1806.     His  remains  lie  interred  in  Donegal  church  graveyard. 

Colonel  Lowrey  was  married  three  times:  first  to  Mary  Waters,  in  1752; 
next  to  Mrs.  Ann  Alricks,  widow  of  Hermanus  Alricks,  of  Cumberland 
county;  and  lastly,  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Cochran,  of  York  Springs,  in  1793.  He 
left  two  sons  and  three  daughters  by  his  first  wife.  The  sons  settled  near 
Frankstown,  leaving  numerous  descendants.  His  daughter  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried Daniel  Elliott,  of  Cumberland  county,  who  afterwards  removed  to  Pitts- 
burgh, and  was  engaged  in  Indian  trade  with  his  father-in-law.  The  daughter 
Mary  married  John  Hay,  who  also  went  to  Pittsburgh.  Margaret,  the  young- 
est, married  George  Plumer  who  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  and  rep- 
resented that  district  in  the  legislature  and  in  congress  for  many  years.  By 
his  second  wife,  he  had  one  child,  Frances,  who  married  Samuel  Evan-,  of 
Chester  county,  but  they  lived  and  died  on  Colonel  Lowrey 's  home-place.  .Mr-. 
Evans  had  sons  and  daughters,  and  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of  eh. 
and  intelligence. 

Colonel  Lowrey  was  a  remarkable  man  in  many  respects,  and  his  life  was 
an  eventful  one,  whether  considered  in  his  long  career  in  Indian  bade,  a 
patriot  of  the  revolution,  or  the  many  years  in  which  he  gave  his  time  and 


/■;,-  limilforaftuH  of 

"A  NewMap  of  tlie  We  stem  Parts  of 

VIRGINIA,  PENNSYLVANIA,  MARYLAND  & 

NORTH  CAROLINA&e. 

By    Thai  m,lr/i/,„,    C„,,l„, „,,  ,>,"/i„,,  ,rfi,„>    ' 


Appendix  M.  355 

the  Scioto;  up  that  stream  to  the  forks  [now  Columbus,  Ohio]; 
and  you  may  proceed  above  the  forks,  twenty  miles.1  Thence 
you  shape  your  course  for  Rocher  de  Bout;2 — a  direct  line 
from  the  salt  lick  town  to  that  place  will  carry  you  clear  of 
those  streams  I  have  before  mentioned,  as  you  will  pass  the 
heads  of  them  and  your  route  will  be  through  a  fine  country, 
full  of  prairies  (glades  or  savannas)  and  the  woodlands  are 
clear  from  underbrush.3  The  distance  to  Detroit  is  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

Boats  large  enough  to  carry  an  eighteen  pounder  may  mount 
the  Scioto  at  the  aforesaid  season  (the  spring).  By  this  route 
you  reduce  your  march  more  than  one-half  and  escape  the 
harassments  of  the  savages;  and  the  country,  from  its  being 
so  open,  will  not  be  so  advantageous  for  these  devils  to  act  in. 
You  may  run  down  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Scioto  in  eight  days; 
up  the  Scioto  to  the  place  of  debarkation,  in  six  days;  and 
thence  to  Detroit,  I  suppose,  in  fifteen  days,  for  he  assures  me 

means  to  the  service  of  his  country.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  his  neigh- 
bors, and  during  his  long  life  shared  with  his  associate  and  friend,  Colonel 
Galbraith,  the  confidence  and  leadership  accorded  to  both  in  public,  church, 
and  local  affairs. —  Wm.  H.  Egle,  in  Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  Vol.  IV, 
pp.  90-92. 

Tt  is  evident  from  the  wording  of  Mr.  Gibson's  letter,  that  Irvine  had  solic- 
ited him  to  make  inquiries  of  Colonel  Lowrey  concerning  the  most  practicable 
route  from  Pittsburgh  to  Detroit,  for  an  army  to  travel ;  and,  after  making 
the  inquiry,  he  (Gibson)  gave  the  result  of  it  to  Irvine  in  the  letter  above. 

1  The  point  of  debarkation  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty  for  the 
reason  that  Col.  Lowrey  does  not  say  which  of  the  forks  it  was  the  custom  to 
proceed  up  "  twenty  miles,"  whether  the  Scioto  proper  or  the  Olentangy. 

2  Rocher  de  Bout  is  not  put  down  on  any  of  the  old  maps.  It  was,  no 
doubt,  the  Roche  or  Rocher  de  Bout — "Rock  on  End" — called,  in  En- 
glish, "Standing  Rock,"  located  on  the  Maumee  river,  above  the  rapids  at 
Waterville,  some  three  or  four  miles  above  what  is  now  Perrysburg  and  on 
the  west  side  of  the  stream.  In  Howe's  Hist.  Coll.  of  Ohio,  it  is  erroneously 
called  "  Rocher  de  Bceuf." 

3  It  is  quite  impossible  to  trace,  except  approximately,  the  route  taken  from 
the  point  of  debarkation  to  Rocher  de  Bout,  from  the  description  of  it  given 
by  Colonel  Lowrey.  The  only  certainty  about  it  is,  that  it  was  the  shortest 
practicable  route  which  kept  clear  of  "  the  many  small  rivulets  that  disem- 
bogue into  Sandusky  river,"  which,  "in  the  spring,  were  swelled  to  large, 
deep  streams."  The  "glades  or  savannas"  mentioned  are  the  Sandusky 
plains  (See,  post  p.  366,  note  2  ). 


] [ 'a.sh higton-Irvine  Correspondence. 


the  road  may  be  made  as  fast  as  the  troops  can  march.  .  .  lie 
(Mr.  Lowrey)  has  gone  frequently  from  the  salt  lick  town  to 
Detroit  in  eight  days  with  pack  horses.1 


IY. —  Irvine  to  Colonel  John  Evans.2 

Fort  Pitt,  March  28,  1782. 

Sir: — Ton  will  see  by  the  enclosed  resolutions  of  congress3 
the  object  of  my  command  in  this  quarter,  and  I  make  no  doubt 
you  will  easily  conceive  that  from  the  jarring  interests  and 
other  reasons,  the  advice  and  assistance  of  some  of  the  principal 
people  of  this  country  will  be  necessary  (indeed,  indispensably 
so)  for  me. 

I  therefore  wish  to  see  you  and  such  of  your  field  officers  as 
you  may  think  proper  to  warn  (at  least  one  from  every  battal- 
ion in  your  county)  at  this  post  on  Friday,  the  fifth  day  of 
April  next.  Punctually  to  the  day  will  be  necessary,  as  I  have 
written  to  a  number  of  gentlemen  requesting  their  attendance 
at  the  same  time.  Whatever  difference  local  situations  may 
make  in  sentiments  respecting  territory,  etc.,  a  combination  of 
forces  to  repel  the  enemy  is  clearly,  I  think,  a  duty  we  owe 
ourselves  and  country.4 


V. —  Colonel  Kichard  Butler  5  to  Irvine. 

Carlisle,  March  28,  1782. 
Dear  General: — I  was  yesterday  honored  with  a  letter  from 
his  excellency  [General  Washington],  wherein    he  mentions 
his  wish  of  the  troops  here  being  got  in  readiness  as  fast  a8 

1  This  letter  was  directed  to  Irvine  at  Philadelphia. 

2  Lieutenant  of  Monongalia  county,  Virginia. 

3  Ante,  p.  72,  note  1. 

4  A  similar  letter  was  sent  the  same  day  to  Col.  David  Shepherd,  lieutenant 
of  Ohio  county,  Virginia.  The  last  clause,  however,  was  not  added  to  the 
letters  of  the  same  date  sent  to  the  lieutenants  of  Westmoreland  and  Wash- 
ington counties,  Pennsylvania.  (Ante,  p.  323.)  It  was  tlius  the  skillful  and 
diplomatic  writer  poured  oil  upon  the  troubled  waters  of  the  boundary  contro- 
versy. 

1  Richard  Butler  was  made  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  eighth  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  being  promoted  from  major,  March  12,  1777;  he  was  afterward 


Appendix  M.  357 

possible  to  move,  but  not  to  march  until  his  further  orders. 
He  says  he  has  ordered  some  clothing,  etc.,  to  be  forwarded 
and  given  the  necessary  orders  to  the  quarter-master  general 
to  provide  camp  equipage  and  carriage,  etc.,  for  the  men  on  the 
march;  but,  if  I  divine  right,  there  is  a  hope  of  the  enemy 
evacuating  Charlestown;  if  so,  I  shall  hope  an  order  [will  be 
given  to  march]  another  loay.  The  French  have  taken  Brim- 
stone Hill  by  capitulation  the  most  generous.  The  Dutch,  it 
is  expected,  will  make  peace  with  Britain.  High  debates  [are 
going  on]  in  the  British  parliament  for  changing  the  mode  of 
the  war.  It  is  said  Massachusetts  has  agreed  to  the  duty  on 
imports;  if  so,  then  Delaware  and  Maryland,  it  is  hoped,  will 
also;  and  then  — 

I  waited  on  Mrs.  Irvine  to-day.  She  is  very  well,  also  the 
children.  I  hope  you  and  the  other  gentlemen  have  got  up 
safe  and  that  you  find  matters  better  than  you  expected.1  You 
see,  my  dear  general,  I  am  determined  to  have  you  in  debt  in 
the  letter  way.  Please  present  my  compliments  to  Colonel 
Bayard 2  and  assure  him  of  my  good  wishes  for  him,  and  accept 
the  best  wishes  of  your  sincere  friend. 


VI. —  Charles  Campbell  3  to  Irvine. 

Sewickley,4  March  28,  1782. 
Sir: — I  received  instructions  from  Colonel  Edward  Cook  to 
make  a  draft  in  Colonel  Pumroy's  battalion  and  send  them  to 

(June  9th)  transferee!  to  Morgan's  rifle  corps;  he  was,  in  1781  and  1782,  colo- 
nel of  the  fifth  Pennsylvania.  In  1783,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  third  regi- 
ment of  that  state.  He  was  afterward  agent  of  Indian  affairs  in  the  west; 
and,  in  the  expedition  of  St.  Clair  against  the  Indians,  in  1791,  was  second  in 
command.  He  led  the  right  wing  of  the  army  with  the  rank  of  major-general. 
He  was  killed  by  the  savages  on  the  4th  of  November,  after  receiving  several 
wounds,  being  tomahawked  and  scalped  by  the  merciless  foe.  His  brothers 
were  Lieutenant-Colonel  William,  Major  Thomas,  and  Captain  Edward. 

'Butler  has  here  reference  to  Irvine's  return  to  Fort  Pitt,  this  letter  being 
directed  to  him  at  that  post,  where  he  arrived,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  25th 
of  March. 

2  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Colonel  Bayard  had  already  returned  to  Fort 

Pitt. 

3  Sub-lieutenant  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania. 

4  Sewickley  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Youghiogheny  river,  empties  into  the 


358  Washington- 1 rvine  Correspondence. 

Ligonier.  Bat  there  are  no  arms  nor  ammunition  to  equip 
them,  to  go  on  their  tour,  nor  yet  are  the  officers  in  those  parts 
willing  to  obey  the  orders  that  come  from  Colonel  Cook  as  their 
county  lieutenant.  If  your  excellency  sends  me  orders,  they 
are  much  more  willing  to  obey  them,  until  some  small  disputes 
are  settled.  You  will  please  let  me  know  if  you  will  supply 
the  men  with  arms  and  the  number  that  are  to  be  called  out. 
I  would  be  glad  to  be  informed  if  we  are  to  be  supplied  with 
any  men  from  below.1 

VII. —  Nathaniel  Seidel2  to  Irvine. 

Bethlehem  [Pa.],  April  11,  1782. 

Esteemed  Sir: — The  bearer,  Mr.  Schebosh  [Joseph  Bull], 
having  acquainted  me  and  my  brethren  of  the  many  marks  of 
kindness  and  attention  you  were  so  condescending  to  show  him 
on  his  being  recaptured  from  the  British  and  brought  to  your 
post  last  winter,3  emboldens  me  in  behalf  of  myself  and  the 
elders  of  the  United  Brethren's  church,  to  recommend  him  to 
your  further  and  particular  notice.  Any  fresh  kindness  shown 
him  will  greatly  add  to  that  sense  of  gratitude  we  already  have 
the  satisfaction  to  feel,  and  any  assistance  in  money  will  be 
punctually  repaid. 

We  are  exceedingly  anxious  by  reports  from  sundry  persons 
lately  from  Pittsburgh,  importing  that  ninety-live  Christian 
Indians,  men,  women  and  children,  had  been  massacred4  (by  a 

parent  stream  on  the  right  about  half  way  from  the  mouth  of  Jacob's  creek  to 
the  confluence  of  the  Youghiogheny  with  the  Monongahela. 

'That  is,  from  over  the  mountains. 

2 Bishop  of  the  Moravian  church,  or,  as  he  calls  it,  "the  United  Brethren's 
church." 

3  Ante,  p.  342,  note  2. 

4  The  reports  about  which  the  bishop  was  so  anxious  were  those  contained  in 
Leinbach's  "Relation  "  (ante,  p.  237,  note)  and  in  three  letters:  one  from  Mr. 
John  Etwine,  dated  Litiz,  March  31,  1782,  and  two  from  Mr.  George  Niser, 
dated  at  York  Town  —  the  first  on  the  4th  of  April,  1782,  the  other  the  next  day. 
In  Etwine's  letter  was  this  information:  "  It  is  reported  from  Lancaster  [Pa.], 
that  160  militia  men  from  Ohio  have  destroyed  two  Delaware  towns  [and] 
have  killed  95  Indians."  In  the  first  letter  from  Niser  was  this  sentence: 
"I  have  seen  a  letter  written  by  a  woman  at  Pittsburgh,  dated  March  21, 
which  contains  these  particulars:     '  The  militia  have  killed  99  of  the  Moravian 


Appendix  M.  359 


large  number  of  volunteers1  from  the  frontiers)  in  the  towns 
on  the  Muskingum  built  by  Indhms  in  common  with  our 
church,  but  who  were  carried  prisoners  to  Sandusky  last  fall, 
ere  they  had  gathered  their  corn:  this  last  circumstance  adds 
much  to  our  concern;  fearing  hunger  had  actually  driven  them 
back  in  search  of  food,  and  that  they  have  met  with  so  cruel  a 
death. 

It  is  further  reported  that  a  new  expedition  of  the  same 
kind,  but  composed  of  a  larger  number,  was  preparing  to  cut 
off  the  remainder  at  Sandusky.2  Our  anxiety  on  this  head  is 
very  great;  as  well  for  the  safety  of  our  poor  Indian  congre- 
gation as  also  for  our  brethren,  the  missionaries.  I  therefore 
take  the  liberty  of  communicating  my  apprehension  to  your 
honor,  hoping  your  authority  will  be  extended  to  the  utmost 
for  their  protection.  Mr.  Schebosh  entertains  some  hopes  of 
proceeding  to  his  family  at  Sandusky.3 

Indians,  namely,  33  men  and  66  women  and  children.'  "  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  Niser's  second  letter:  "The  Moravian  Indian  congregation  at 
Sandusky  is  butchered,  as  it  is  reported  by  the  Scotch.  They  came  and  told 
them  they  must  prepare  directly  for  death.  The  Indians  requested  but  an 
hour's  time  for  this  purpose,  which  was  granted.  They  went  to  their  meeting 
house  to  join  in  prayers  to  the  Lord.  After  the  hour  had  passed,  they  fell  upon 
them  and  butchered  all  of  them  in  cold  blood,  in  the  meeting  house  and 
then  set  fire  to  the  house."  (Compare,  in  this  connection,  Penn.  Arch.,  vol.  IX, 
p.  525.) 

1  This  us^  of  the  word  "  volunteers  "  was  wholly  unwarranted,  as  Leinbach's 
"  Relation  "  and  the  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Etwine  and  Niser  given  in  the 
preceding  note  conclusively  show,  without  further  reference.  The  men  who 
went  to  the  "Muskingum"  are  there  spoken  of  as  "militia,"  not  as  "  volun- 
teers," at  all. 

s  The  "  further  report "  which  the  bishop  here  speaks  of  reached  him  in  Loin- 
bach's  "Relation''  and  Etwine's  letter.  The  former  ends  with  these  words: 
"Before  these  informants  came  away  [that  is,  before  Leinbach's  two  neigh- 
bors came  from  the  Monongahela],  it  was  agreed  that  600  men  should  meet 
on  the  18th  of  March,  to  go  to  Sandusky  which  is  about  100  miles  from  Mus- 
kingum." In  the  letter  of  Etwine  was  this  sentence:  "There  were  600  men 
ready  to  make  another  tour  [after  the  return  of  the  160  '  militia ']  further  up 
the  country."  (See  Penn.  Arch.,  vol.  IX,  p.  525.)  From  these  reports,  the 
bishop  concludes  that  the  object  was  to  "cut  off  the  remainder"  of  the 
Moravian  Indians  at  Sandusky;  but  this  conclusion  had  no  other  foundation 
than  in  his  own  imagination.     (See  p.  282  and  note  3  thereto.) 

3  But  these  hopes  were  frustrated  and  he  returned  to  BeLhlehem,  Pa.  (See 
letter  No.  IX,  following.) 


160  Washinfftorir-Irvme  Corresj)onde?ice. 


Till. —  Lieutenant  Samuel  Bryson1  to  Irvine. 

Fort  McIntosii,  April  29, 1782. 

Sir: — I  send  you  under  guard,  John  Phillips  and  Thomas 
Steed,  for  behaving  in  a  mutinous  manner.  I  shall  not,  at  this 
time,  enter  into  a  description  of  the  manner  in  which  they  be- 
haved, as  the  two  men  who  guards  them  can  give  you  particu- 
lar information,  they  being  the  only  ones  who  spiritedly  took 
my  part. 

Phillips,  who  was  sober,  I  cannot  think  myself  justifiable  in 
ever  letting  him  out  of  the  garrison  with  his  life.  But  not 
having  arms  immediately  in  my  power  when  I  got  rescued 
from  him  and  observing  a  general  sourness  amongst  the  men  — 
with  his  extraordinary  conduct  —  induced  me  to  suspect  a  pre- 
meditated design  against  me.  Certain  it  is,  from  every  thing 
I  can  learn,  with  the  manner  in  which  they  embodied,  that 
three-fourths  of  them  were  ready  to  join  the  mutineers;  for 
which  reason,  I  thought  it  most  prudent  for  the  safety  of  my- 
self and  the  garrison  to  apply  moderate  measures  first.2 

There  was  a  rascally  boat's-crew  lying  under  cover  of  the 
fort  a  night  and  part  of  a  day,  who  found  means  to  convey 
seven  quarts  of  whisky  to  the  men  after  roll-call  yesterday 
morning;  which,  for  some  time,  gave  me  an  amazing  trouble. 
Had  it  not  been  want  of  men  I  would  have  sent  the  crew  to 
you,  particularly  from  my  being  informed  they  were  under 
guard  at  Pitt  for  the  same  crime.  I  had  them  searched;  and 
to  prevent  any  such  trouble  in  future  will  sutler  none  to  lay 
here  longer  than  I  examine  them. 

I  wish  to  have  two  good  men  to  replace  the  prisoners  —  and 
have  nothing  to  fear  in  future;  though  the  duty  is  much 
harder,  it  is  done  without  a  syllable  of  grumbling.  I  have 
experienced  more  insolence  and  grumbling  for  barely  obliging 
them  to  do  their  duty  consistent  with  the  post  since  here,  than 
I  have  met  with  in  the  army  before. 

There  is  not  any  appearance  of  an  enemy  yet.  The  plan  of 
sending  out  patrols  from  the  large  plain  which  surrounds  the 

1  Of  the  2<t  Pennsylvania  regiment. 

2  See  p.  Ill  and  note  2  thereto;  also,  p.  172. 


Apjyendix  M.  3G1 

fort  might,  I  think,  be  fatal  to  the  men;  as  the  enemy,  from 
an  adjacent  hill,  can  see  every  man  who  leaves  the  fort.  Of 
course,  they  can  concert  a  plan  to  ambuscade  them  under  the 
cover  of  large  trees  bordering  the  plain.  In  place  of  that,  I 
have  four  or  five  active  woodsmen,  whom  I  think  of  sending 
out  with  rifles,  two  of  a  night,  and  limit  them  to  bounds  of 
five  or  six  miles,  on  a  hunting  cruise  and  make  their  hours  of 
coming  in,  the  next  day.  They  will  have  an  equal  chance  with 
any  scouting  parties.  If  you  disapprove  of  this  plan,  I  shall 
hope  to  be  informed  by  the  bearer.  I  did  not  look  upon  your 
orders  concerning  the  patrols  as  peremptory  but  discre- 
tionary. 


IX. —  Irvine  to  Seidel. 

Fort  Pitt,  May  8,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  received  your  letter  of  the  11th  April  last,  by  Mr. 
Schebosh;1  any  attention  paid  him,  when  a  prisoner,  by  me, 
was  not  meant  to  lay  him,  or  any  person  for  him,  under  the 
smallest  obligation;  it  was  dictated  by  humanity.2 

As  he  can  inform  you  verbally  of  the  transaction  at  Mus- 
kingum, it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me,  at  this  time,  to  trouble 
you  with  an  account  of  it.3  He  can  also  inform  you  of  my 
intentions  respecting  future  measures. 

1  See  the  bishop's  letter  to  Irvine,  ante,  p.  358. 

2  An  account  of  the  capture  of  Joseph  Bull  (Schebosh)  has  already  been 
given  (see  p.  342,  note  2). 

3 By  "the  transaction  at  Muskingum"  Irvine  means  the  "Gnadenhuetten 
affair."  It  may  here  be  stated,  concerning  this  "transaction,"  that  the  rea- 
son why  the  militia  were  ordered  out  by  Marshel  at  all  was,  because  of  Indian 
marauds  and  the  belief  that  the  towns  upon  the  Tuscarawas  were  occupied 
by  the  marauders.  Upon  this  point,  contemporaneous  evidence  is  positive 
(ante,  p.  99,  note  2;  p.  239,  note  4).  The  next  question  is,  against  what  In- 
dians were  the  militia  sent?  Here,  too,  contemporaneous  evidence  is  un- 
equivocal. The  answer  is,  against  "  enemy  Indians ;"  that  is,  hostile  savages  — 
marauding  Tndians,orthose  believed  to  be  such  (ante,  p.  99,  note  2;  p.  237, 
note  1;  p.  239,  note  4,  second  paragraph;  and  p.  240,  note  1).  Marshel's  order- 
ing out  the  militia,  therefore,  "to  go  to  Muskingum  "  was  in  accordance  with 
legitimate  warfare.     Whatever  acts  were  committed  by  them  —  whatever 


Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


I  believe  the  missionaries  are  safe,  and  I  can  assure  von  it 
will  always  be  pleasing  to  me  to  be  able  to  render  them 
service.  I  hope  (and  think  it  probable)  they  have  removed 
farther  than  Sandusky;  that  being  now  a  frontier,  and  one  of 
the  British  and  Indian  barrier-towns,  they  cannot  rationally 
expect  to  be  safe  at  it.1 

they  "did  after  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas  was  reached,  he  is  not  to  be 
held  accountable  for.  His  intentions  were  patriotic,  notwithstanding  a 
"dark  transaction  "  was  the  result. 

'At  the  time  that  Bishop  Seidel  wrote  the  letter  to  which  the  above  is  an 
answer,  he  also  wrote  one  of  a  like  tenor  to  Col.  Gibson.  The  answer  of  the 
latter  was  as  follows : 

"  Fort  Pitt,  May  9,  1782. 

"Sir: — Your  letter  by  Mr.  Schebosh  [Joseph  Bull]  of  the  11th  ultimo,  came 
safe  to  hand.  1  am  happy  to  find  that  the  few  small  services  I  rendered  to 
the  gentlemen  of  your  society  in  this  quarter  meet  with  the  approbation  of  you 
and  every  other  worthy  character. 

"  Mr.  Schebosh  will  be  able  to  give  you  a  particular  account  of  the  late  hor- 
rid massacre  perpetrated  at  the  towns  on  Muskingum  by  a  set  of  men,  the 
most  savage  miscreants  that  ever  degraded  human  nature.  Had  I  have  known 
of  their  intention  before  it  was  too  late,  I  should  have  prevented  it  by  inform- 
ing the  poor  sufferers  of  it.  I  am  in  hopes  in  a  few  days  to  be  able  to  send 
you  a  more  particular  account  than  any  that  has  yet  transpired,  as  I  hope  to 
obtain  the  deposition  of  a  person  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  whole  trans- 
action and  disapproved  of  it.  Should  any  accounts  come  tc  hand  from  Mr. 
[David]  Zeisberger,  or  the  other  gentlemen  of  your  society,  you  may  depend 
on  my  transmitting  it  to  you.  Please  present  my  compliments  to  Mr.  William 
Henry  Jr.,  &c. 

"  Believe  me,  with  esteem,  your  most  obed't  humble  servant, 

"Jno.  Gibson, 

"Rev.  Nathaniel  Seidel.  Col.  7th  Va.  Regiment." 

The  following  extract  is  from  Loskiel's  "  Hist,  of  the  Mission  of  the  United 
Brethren  [Moravian],"  P.  Ill,  p.  176:  "Hearing  that  different  companies  of 
the  believing  Indians  ["  Moravians"]  came  occasionally  from  Sandusky  to  the 
settlements  on  the  Muskingum  [Tuscarawas  branch]  to  fetch  provisions,  a 
party  of  murderers,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  number,  assembled  in  the 
country  near  Whiling  [Wheeling]  and  Buffaloe  [Buffalo  creek],  determined 
first  to  surprise  the>e  Indians  [the  "Moravians"]  and  destroy  the  settlements 
and  then  march  to  Sandusky,  where  they  might  easily  cut  off  the  whole 
[Moravian]  Indian  congregation.  As  soon  as  Col.  Gibson,  at  Pittsburgh,  heard 
of  this  black  design,  he  sent  messengers  to  our  Indians  [the  "Moravians"]  on 
the  Muskingum  to  give  them  timely  notice  of  their  danger:  but  tiny  came  too 
late."  Upon  what  authority  it  is  here  affirmed  that  <ul>sun  sent  messengers 
to  the  Tuscarawas,  is  unknown.  It  could  hardly  have  been  upon  the  state- 
ments in  his  letter  just  given. 


Appendix  M.  363 


X. —  Colonel  William  Crawford  to  Irvine. 

Colonel  Canon's,1  May  20,  1782. 
Sir: — At  my  arrival  at  this  place,2  I  found  a  number  of 
volunteers  from  Westmoreland  county  —  about  one  hundred 
men.  The  Washington  county  people  are  to  rendezvous  at 
the  Mingo  Bottom  [on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio].  If  com- 
mon report  can  be  true,  there  will  be  about  three  or  four  hun- 
dred men.  I  am  afraid  the  smallest  number.  I  should  be 
happy  to  see  you  at  the  Mingo  Bottom  if  it  is  convenient  for 
you.  I  am  much  afraid  guides  will  be  wanting.  None  seem 
to  be  fixed  on  that  I  can  find  that  will  go.  I  can  hear  noth- 
ing of  Thomas  Nicholson3  for  scouting.  To-morrow  we  shall 
be  at  the  Mingo  Bottom.  About  Wednesday  we  shall  cross 
the  Ohio  and  be  able  to  begin  our  march  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing or  Wednesday  evening.  I  must  beg  your  assistance  in 
requesting  Dr.  Knight's  coming  as  soon  as  possible.  I  can 
find  him  a  horse  from  Colonel  Canon's,  if  he  can  come  that 
far.  I  shall  write  you  from  time  to  time  as  opportunity  may 
offer. 


XI. —  Colonel  Crawford  to  Irvine. 

Mingo  Bottom,4  May  24,  1782. 
Dear  General: — Yours  of  the  20th  was  handed  me  by 
Major  Rose,  for  which  I  am  much  obliged  to  you. 

After  much  confusion  in  crossing  the  river  [Ohio],  having 

1  Now  Canonsburgh,  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  then  the  home  of 
John  Canon.     (See  p.  284,  note  2.) 

2  Crawford  was  on  his  way  to  meet  the  volunteers,  who  were  to  march 
against  Sandusky. 

3  Thomas  was  a  brother  of  Joseph  Nicholson,  who  was  famous  as  a  scout,  he 
having  seen,  perhaps,  more  service  in  that  line,  than  any  other  person  in  the 
western  country.  He  was  with  Washington  in  1770,  down  the  Ohio,  to  the 
Great  Kanawha,  proving  himself  upon  that  occasion,  a  useful  guide.  In  Dun- 
more's  war  of  1774,  he  acted  as  pilot.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  same 
capacity  in  several  expeditions,  during  the  revolution,  froin  Fort  Pitt.  After 
the  war,  he  settled  at  Pittsburgh  and  died  there. 

4  On  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio. 


364  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence, 

only  four  small  canoes  to  ferry  over  men,  horses  and  bag- 
gage,—  we  this  day  got  over  four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  men 
and  to-morrow  morning  at  eight  o'clock  we  are  to  march; 
which  I  hope  will  be  done.  I  shall  endeavor  to  do  all  in  my 
power  for  the  good  of  my  country;  but,  as  those  whom  I 
command  are  volunteers  and  subject  to  alter  their  minds,  lean 
only  say  I  will  do  all  I  can  for  the  best,  and  as  far  as  I  can. 
The  whole  at  present  seem  determined  to  fight;  and  I  am  re- 
solved they  shall  have  an  opportunity  if  I  can  [give  them  one] 
with  a  color  of  success.  I  shall  take  every  precaution  to  pre- 
vent being  surprised  or  getting  into  confusion. 

Should  it  so  happen  that  I  can  write  to  you  before  I  return, 
I  will. 

I  humbly  thank  you  for  favoring  me  with  Major  Rose,  as 
he  will  be  of  great  service  to  me.1 


XII. —  Lieut.  John  Rose2  to  Irvine. 

Mingo  Bottom,  Friday,  May  24,  17S2. 
Sir: —  The  Mingo  bottom  is  not  a  very  long  day's  journey 
from  Fort  Pitt.  Notwithstanding,  I  did  not  arrive  here  until 
the  next  day,  late  in  the  afternoon.  I  found  everybody  cross- 
ing, with  the  utmost  expedition,  the  Ohio;  and  I  myself  pushed 
over  immediately  after  my  arrival.  My  fears  that  the  present 
expedition  would  miscarry  have  been  dispelled  this  very  mo- 
ment only.  Colonels  [David]  Williamson  and  [William] 
Crawford  did  seem  to  have  numerous  and  obstinate  adherents. 
The  latter  carried  the  election  this  day  but  by  five  votes;  and 
I  cannot  but  give  Colonel  Williamson  the  utmost  credit  for 
his  exhorting  the  whole  to  be  unanimous  after  the  election 
had  been  made  known,  and  cheerfully  submitted  to  be  second 
in  command.  I  think  if  it  had  been  otherwise,  Crawford 
would  have  pushed  home  and  very  likely  we  should  have  dis- 

1  This,  it  is  believed,  was  the  last  letter  ever  written  by  the  unfortunate 
colonel.  The  original  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Lyman  C.  Draper,  LL.  D., 
of  Madison,  Wisconsin.  The  expedition  started  for  Sandusky  the  next 
morning. 

2  Rose,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  aid-de-camp  to  Irvine.     (See  p.  117.) 


Appendix  M.  365 


persed;  which  would  have  been  likewise  the  case  if  William- 
son had  not  behaved  with  so  much  prudence.  One  Colonel 
[Thomas]  Gaddis  is  third  in  command;  Colonel  [John]  Mc- 
Clelland, fourth;  and  Major  [James]  Brenton,  fifth  in 
command. 

My  presence  caused,  seemingly,  uneasiness.  It  was  surmised 
I  had  been  sent  to  take  command.  An  open  declaration  of 
mine,  at  a  meeting  of  the  officers,  that  I  did  not  intend  to  take 
upon  me  any  command  of  any  kind  whatsoever  but  to  act  as  an 
aid-de-camp  to  the  commanding  officer,  seemed  to  pacify  every- 
thing, and  all  goes  on  charmingly.  "We  expect  to  set  out  early 
to-morrow  morning  and  are  only  detained  by  the  want  of  some 
ammunition  which  has  been  sent  for  yesterday  to  Mcintosh. 
We  march,  as  you  know,  in  four  columns,  etc.  Our  number 
is  actually  480  '  men, —  young,  active,  and  seemingly  spirited. 
I  have  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  our  undertaking  and  am 
very  sorry  Colonel  [James]  Marshel  [lieutenant  of  Washing- 
ton county]  does  not  march  with  us,  who  was  within  three  or 
four  votes  of  being  third  commander.  I  think  him  very  pop- 
ular, as  much  so  as  Colonel  Williamson. 

The  report  of  an  attack  from  the  enemy  upon  the  Rapids 
[Louisville,  Kentucky]  seems  a  mere  invention.  The  men 
said  to  come  from  there  have  not  been  seen  by  anybody. 

Major  [William]  Pollock  has  furnished  me  and  Dr.  Knight 
forty-five  pounds  of  bacon.  I  cannot  persuade  him  to  take 
any  pay  for  it,  but  a  mere  receipt.  I  do  not  understand  upon 
what  principles  they  furnish  these  articles. 

I  must  beg  the  favor  of  you  to  receive  my  half-boots  from 
Patrick  Leonard  and  one  pair  of  shoes,  as  I  am  already  almost 
barefooted.2 


1  In  Crawford's  letter  just  given  the  number  is  stated  at  46S  that  had  then 
got  over  the  river,  but  Rose's  letter  was,  probably,  written  later  in  the  day, 
when  12  more  had  succeeded  in  crossing. 

2  This  letter  gives  much  information  concerning  the  organization  of  the  ex- 
pedition against  Sandusky  not  obtainable  from  other  sources.  It  was  written 
at  the  Mingo  bottom,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio,  in  what  is  now  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,  not  far  below  Steubenville,  as  was  the  previous  letter  by  Col. 
Crawford. 


366  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XIII. —  Col.  David  Williamson1  to  Irvine. 

June  13,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — I  take  the  opportunity  to  make  you  acquainted 
with  our  retreat  from  the  Sandusky  plains,2  June  Gth.  We 
were  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  making  a  forced  inarch  through 
their  [the  enemy's]  lines  in  the  night,  much  in  disorder;  but 
the  main  body  marched  round  the  Shawanese  camp  and  was 
lucky  enough  to  escape  their  fire.  They  marched  the  whole 
night,  and  the  next  morning  were  re-enforced  by  some  compa- 
nies which  I  cannot  give  a  particular  account  of,  as  they  were 
so  irregular  and  so  confused;  but  the  number  lost,  I  think, 
cannot  be  ascertained  at  this  time.     I  must  acknowledge  my- 

1  He  was  colonel,  it  will  be  remembered,  of  the  3d  battalion  of  Washington 
county  militia,  and  second  in  command  upon  the  Sandusky  expedition. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  Williamson,  and  was  born  in  1752,  near  Carlisle,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  came  to  the  western  country  when  a  boy;  he  afterward  re- 
turned home  and  persuaded  his  parents  to  emigrate  beyond  the  Alleghanies. 
They  settled  upon  Buffalo  creek,  in  what  was  subsequently  Washington 
county,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  Ohio.  At  that  point,  David  had  a  "sta- 
tion "  during  the  revolution,  which,  though  often  alarmed,  was  never  attacked. 
From  the  commencement  of  Indian  depredations,  Williamson  took  an  active 
part  in  the  defense  of  the  western  border,  having  previously,  during  Dun- 
more's  war,  held  a  captain's  commission.  He  was  every  where  recognized  as 
a  true  lover  of  his  country  —  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  its  welfare. 
His  activity  in  guarding  the  defenseless  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  settlements 
was  untiring.  After  the  return  of  the  Sandusky  expedition,  he  was  soon 
actively  engaged  in  watching  the  exposed  border  —  continuing  his  services 
until  the  restoration  of  peace.  He  was  afterward  popular  with  the  people  of 
his  county,  being  first,  county  lieutenant  and  then  elected,  in  1787,  to  the  office 
of  sheriff.     He  was  unsuccessful,  however,  in  business,  and  died  in  poverty. 

2  That  is,  the  retreat  of  the  volunteers  who,  under  Col.  Wm.  Crawford,  had 
marched  against  Sandusky.  The  plains  he  speaks  of,  lie  within  the  present 
counties  of  Crawford,  Marion  and  Wyandot,  Ohio,  south  and  west  of  the 
Sandusky  river,  seldom  reaching  to  its  banks.  This  stream,  however,  may  be 
said  to  bound  them  on  the  north  in  Crawford,  and  on  the  east  in  Wyandot 
county.  In  the  former  county,  their  eastern  boundary  is  the  Olentangy;  in 
Wyandot,  their  western  boundary  is  the  Tymochtee.  In  general  terms,  we 
may  bound  the  plains  on  the  north  by  the  Sandusky,  on  the  east  by  the  Olen- 
tangy, on  the  south  by  the  Scioto,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Tymochtee.  Their 
extreme  length,  east  and  west,  is  something  over  forty  miles;  their  greatest 
breadth,  north  and  south,  nearly  twenty  miles. 


Appendix  M.  3G7 


self  ever  obliged  to  Major  Eose  for  his  assistance  both  in  the 
field  of  action  and  in  the  camp.  His  character,  in  our  camp, 
is  estimable,  and  his  bravery  cannot  be  outdone.  Our.  country 
must  be  ever  obliged  to  General  Irvine  for  his  favor  done  in 
the  late  expedition.  Major  Rose  will  give  you  a  particular 
account  of  our  retreat.1  I  hope  when  your  honor  takes  into 
consideration  the  distress  of  the  brave  men  in  the  present  ex- 
pedition, and  the  distress  of  our  country  in  general,  you  will 
do  us  the  favor  to  call  the  officers  together,  as  our  dependence 
is  entirely  upon  you,  and  we  are  ready  and  willing  to  obey 
your  commands  when  called  upon.  I  have  nothing  more  par- 
ticular to  write  you. 

P.  S. —  Colonel  Crawford,  our  commandant,  we  can  give  no 
account  of  since  the  night  of  the  retreat.2 


XIV. —  Lieut.  Rose  to  Irvine. 

Mingo  Bottom,  June  13th,  1782. 

Sir: — Those  volunteers  who  marched  from  here  on  the 
24th  of  May  last,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Wm.  Craw- 
ford, are  this  moment  returned,  and  recrossing  the  Ohio  with 
Colonel  Williamson.  I  am  very  sorry  to  observe,  they  did 
not  meet  with  that  success  which  so  spirited  an  enterprise 
and  the  heroic  bravery  of  the  greater  part  deserved.3 

So  small  a  body  could  only  expect  success  by  surprising  the 
enemy.     We  therefore  begun  a  rapid  and  secret  march  in  the 

1  See  next  letter. 

2  Crawford,  as  previously  mentioned,  became  separated  from  most  of  the 
volunteers;  and,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1782,  while  endeavoring  to  make  his 
way  back,  in  the  rear  of  his  retreating  forces,  was  captured  by  the  savages, 
being  four  days  after,  tortured  to  death,  in  what  is  now  Wyandot  county. 
Upon  the  return  march  of  the  main  force,  the  command  devolved  upon  Will- 
iamson, who,  after  his  arrival  at  the  Mingo  bottom,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Ohio,  sent  the  above  letter  to  Irvine  as  his  official  report  of  the  expedition, — 
but,  to  a  great  extent,  as  he  indicates,  leaving  it  to  Lieut.  Rose  to  give  the 
details. 

3  This  letter  and  the  one  immediately  preceding  are  the  American  official 
reports  of  Crawford's  campaign  against  Sandusky,  both  of  which  were  written 


368  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

straiglitest  direction  through  the  woods  for  the  towns  of  San- 
dusky. Our  horses  soon  tired  under  their  heavy  loads  in 
those  enormous  hills  and  swamps,  we  had  to  cross.  This 
obliged  us  to  incline  to  the  southward  towards  the  Moravian 
towns,  into  a  more  level  country,  though  more  frequented  by 
hunters  and  warriors.     On  crossing  the  Muskingum  [Tuscara- 

at  the  Mingo  bottom  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio.  The  following  is  the 
British  and  Indian  official  correspondence  concerning  the  expedition : 

[I. —  John    Turney    to   Major    A.    S.  DePeyster,   Commanding    at 

Detroit.] 

"Camp  Upper  Sandusky,  June  7,  1782. 

"Sir: — I  am  happy  in  having  the  pleasure  of  acquainting  you  with  our 
success  on  the  4th  and  5th  instant.  On  the  4th,  about  12  o'clock,  the  enemy 
appeared  about  two  miles  from  this  place.  Captain  [William]  Caldwell,  with 
the  rangers  and  about  two  hundred  Indians,  marched  out  to  6ght  them,  and 
attacked  them  about  2  o'clock.  The  enemy  immediately  retreated  to  a  copse 
of  wood  at  a  little  distance,  where  they  made  a  stand  and  had  every  advantage 
of  us  as  to  situation  of  ground  people  possibly  could  wish  for;  as  there 
was  but  a  small  neck  of  woods  that  we  could  get  possession  of,  which,  when 
we  once  gained,  the  action  became  general  and  was  dubious  for  some  time  till 
we  obliged  them  to  retreat  about  fifty  yards,  after  which  we  were  able  to  cover 
most  of  our  men.  The  battle  was  very  hot  till  night,  which  put  a  stop  to  firing. 
Both  parties  kept  their  ground  all  night. 

"  On  the  5th  at  daybreak,  we  again  commenced  firing,  which  we  kept  up 
pretty  briskly  till  we  found  the  enemy  did  not  wish  to  oppose  us  again.  How- 
ever, we  kept  firing  at  them  whenever  they  dared  show  themselves.  They 
made  two  attempts  to  sally,  but  were  repulsed  with  loss.  About  12  o'clock, 
we  were  joined  by  one  hundred  and  forty  Shawanese,  and  had  got  the  enemy 
surrounded;  but,  through  some  mistake  of  the  Indians,  there  was  one  pass 
left  unguarded,  through  which  they  made  their  escape  about  12  o'clock  at 
night,  though  some  of  the  Indians  pursued  them. 

"They  [the  Indians]  never  alarmed  our  camp  until  daybreak.  As  soon  as  T 
heard  of  it  [the  retreat  of  the  Americans],  I  pursued  them  with  the  rangers 
about  two  miles.  The  enemy  were  mostly  on  horseback.  Some  of  the  Indians 
who  had  horses  followed  and  overtook  them,  killed  a  number,  and  it  was  owing 
to  nothing  but  the  country  being  very  clear  that  any  of  them  escaped. 

"Captain  Caldwell  was  wounded  in  both  legs,  the  ball  lodging  in  one.  He 
left  the  field  in  the  beginning  of  the  action.  Our  loss  is  very  inconsiderable. 
We  had  but  one  ranger  killed  and  two  wounded.  LeVillier,  the  interpreter, 
and  four  Indians  were  killed  and  eight  wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  is 
one  hundred  lulled  and  fifty  wounded,  as  we  are  informed  by  the  prisoners. 
The  number  of  the  killed  we  are  certain  of. 

"Captain  Caldwell  started  for  Lower  Sandusky  on  the  evening  of  the  4th 
instant.     I  intend  to  march  there  likewise  in  a  day  or  two,  where  I  shall  wait 


Appendix  M.  3G9 


was  branch]  on  the  2Sth,  we  were  unfortunate  enough  to  be 
discovered  by  the  enemy,  which  gave  them  sufficient  time  to 
prepare  for  our  reception  and  alarm  the  adjacent  Indian  na- 
tions. Notwithstanding  our  small  numbers,  amounting  in  the 
whole  to  four  hundred  and  eight}',  we  continued  our  march 
with  great  precaution  and  met  the  enemy  the  4th  of  June  at 

your  orders  unless  something  should  turn  up  before  I  hear  from  you.  They 
say  [General  George  Rogers]  Clark  will  be  in  the  Shawanese  country  and  that 
Sandusky  is  the  most  proper  place  for  us  to  be  at,  till  such  time  as  we  are  certain 
the  report  is  true. 

"  Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  the  officers  and  men  and  the  Indians. 
No  people  could  behave  better.  Captain  [Matthew]  Elliott  and  Lieutenant 
Clinch  in  particular  signalized  themselves.  John  Turney, 

"  Major  De  Pevster.  Lieut.  Corps  of  Rangers." 

[II. —  Same  to  Same.] 

"  Camp  Upper  Sandusky,  June  7,  1782. 

"  Sir: — I  am  desired  by  the  Wyandots  to  return  you  thanks  for  the  assist- 
ance you  have  sent  them  just  in  time  of  need,  and  they  hope  their  Father 
will  send  them  some  provisions,  ammunition  and  some  clothing,  as  they  say 
they  are  quite  naked.  They  beg  if  possible  a  few  more  men;  and  the  Half 
King  a  little  rum  to  drink  his  majesty's  health  and  the  day  on  which  he  was 
born,  as  that  was  the  day  on  which  they  defeated  the  enemy.  They  hope 
you  will  tell  the  Indians  in  general  at  Detroit  to  be  ready  to  come  to  their 
assistance  as  soon  as  they  send  a  runner,  which  may  be  in  a  few  days  as  the 
enemy  are  coming  into  the  Shawanese  country.  I  am  your  most  obedient, 
humble  servant.  John  Turney, 

"Lieut,  of  the  Rangers,  commanding  Upper  Sandusky. 

"Major  De  Peyster." 

[III. —  Speech  op  Captain  Snake  on  Behalf  op  the  Mingoes,  Shaw- 
anese   AND   DELAWARES   TO   De  PeYSTER.] 

"Upper  Sandusky,  June  8  [7],  1782. 

"Father: — What  we  asked  of  you  this  spring,  it  is  needless  to  repeat,  you 
granted  to  us.  Your  assistance  came  in  good  time.  We  have,  with  your 
people,  defeated  the  enemy.  There  is  another  army  coming  against  us  from 
Kentucky.  This  we  are  certain  of,  not  only  from  prisoners,  but  from  our 
young  men  who  are  watching  them. 

"Father!  We  hope  you  will  again  grant  our  request  and  let  the  rangers 
remain  at  Lower  Sandusky  about  ten  days  and  then  march  for  our  villages. 
We  hope,  if  possible,  you  will  send  some  more  of  your  people  and  stores, 
such  as  are  necessary  for  warriors,  with  cannon  and  provision  sufficient  to 
maintain  the  Indians  you  may  send  to  us.  This  you  cannot  do  too  soon,  as 
we  are  determined  if  the  enemy  do  not  come  into  our  country  that  we  will  go 
24 


370  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

the  plains  of  Sandusky.  Our  advanced  light  horse  fell  in 
with  them  a  short  distance  from  their  town,  and  at  4  P.  M., 
the  action  was  general,  close  and  hot.  Both  parties  contended 
obstinately  for  a  piece  of  woods,  which  the  enemy  was  forced 
to  quit  at  sunset,  with  the  loss  of  several  scalps.  We  had  five 
killed  and  nineteen  wounded.     The  firing  began  early  on  the 


into  theirs;  and  we  will  give  you  all  the  assistance  in  our  power  to  transport 
your  provision  and  what  other  necessaries  you  may  send  for  your  people. 

"  We  hope,  Father!  you  will  not  fail  but  send  us  all  assistance  possible. 
[Three  strings  of  black  wampum.]  Captain  Snake. 

"To  Major  De  Peyster,  Commanding  Detroit  and  dependencies." 

[IV.  —  Alex.   McKee  of    the  British    Indian   Department  to    De 

Peyster.] 

Upper  Sandusky,  June  7,  1782. 

"  Dear  Sir: —  You  have  already  an  account  of  the  repulse  of  five  hundred 
of  the  enemy  who  advanced  near  to  this  place  and  were  surrounded  by  near 
an  equal  number  of  Indians  with  the  rangers;  but,  being  too  sure  of  taking 
the  whole,  and  an  unlucky  maneuver  of  the  Indians  ordering  the  sentinels 
posted  around  them  to  fire,  showed  the  enemy  their  weakest  part  through 
which  they  escaped  under  cover  of  a  dark  night.  However,  they  were  pur- 
sued and  dispersed.  But  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the  numbers  killed,  as  the 
Indians  are  still  bringing  in  prisoners  and  scalps,  and  numbers  are  still  after 
them  whose  intentions  are  to  follow  them  to  the  Ohio.  Many,  by  the  prison- 
ers' accounts,  must  perish  in  the  woods,  having  left  their  clothes  and  baggage. 

"The  chiefs  assembled  here  have  also  spoken  to  you  their  sentiments,  which 
is  to  go  against  the  enemy,  provided  they  find  the  enemy  is  not  coming  soon 
against  them  from  Kentucky;  though  it  is  generally  believed  they  will;  and 
that  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  will  put  us  in  certainty  of  their  designs;  in  the 
mean  time,  that  our  forces  be  collected  and  wait  at  Sandusky  until  they  send 
word  what  is  further  to  be  done.  Tliey  likewise  beg  you  to  send  them  what 
further  assistance  you  can,  with  a  further  supply  of  ammunition  and  stores 
suitable  for  warriors;  as  that  on  the  way  they  think  will  not  be  sufficient  and 
having  already  expended  all  they  had.  I  shall  go  hence  to  Lower  Sandusky 
where  Captain  Caldwell  is  and  wounded,  to  see  how  matters  can  be  settled 
there  with  the  Indians,  and  thence  proceed  to  the  Shawanese  towns.  I  am, 
with  great  respect,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble  servant, 

"  Major  A.  S.  De  Peyster,  A.  McKee. 

"  Of  the  king's  regiment,  commanding  Detroit,  etc." 

[V.— Captain  William  Caldwkll,  of  the  Rangers,  to  De  Peyster. J 

"  [Lower]  Sandusky,  June  11,  1782. 
"  Sir: —  No  doubt  but  you  must  ere  this  have  received  Lieutenant  Turney's 
letter  from  Upper  Sandusky.     At  the  time  it  was  written,  we  were  not  able  to 
ascertain  properly  the  enemy's  loss  as  the  pursuers  were  not  all  returned.     I 


Appendix  M.  371 


fifth.  The  enemy  had  received  so  severe  a  blow  the  preceding 
evening  that  he  did  not  venture  an  attack,  but  contented  him- 
self to  annoy  us  at  a  distance.  "We  were  so  much  encumbered 
with  our  wounded  and  sick,  that  the  whole  day  was  spent  in 
their  care  and  in  preparing  for  a  general  attack  the  next  night, 
which  was  thought  dangerous  with  a  part  only.  But  our  in- 
tentions were  frustrated  by  the  arrival  of  a  large  body  of 
mounted  rangers  and  two  hundred  Shawanese  in  the  after- 


now  have  the  pleasure  of  transmitting  to  you  as  true  an  account  as  possible, 
which  is,  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Amongst  the  prisoners 
[are]  Colonel  Crawford  and  some  of  the  officers;  amongst  the  killed  is  Major 
McClelland.  Their  officers  I  believe  suffered  much.  Our  loss  is  very  incon- 
siderable: one  ranger  killed,  myself  and  two  wounded;  Le  Vellier  killed;  four 
Indians  killed  and  eight  wounded.  The  white  men  that  are  wounded  are  in 
a  good  way  and  I  hope  will  be  fit  for  service  in  a  fortnight.  The  Delawares 
are  still  in  pursuit,  and  I  hope  we  will  account  for  most  of  the  six  hundred. 
The  lake  Indians  are  very  tardy.  We  had  but  forty-four  of  them  in  the 
action.  I  should  be  glad  they  would  hasten,  as  I  expect  we  will  have  occasion 
for  them. 

"I  hope  something  will  be  done  this  summer.  Clark,  I  believe,  will  soon 
be  on  his  way  for  the  Shawanese  country;  if  so,  we  will  have  occasion  for  as 
many  as  possibly  can  be  gathered.  The  Indian  demands  are  great,  and  I  have 
not  a  single  thing  to  suffice  them  with.  Provision  is  mostly  their  cry,  which  I 
hope  you  will  send  us  a  fresh  supply  of.  Ammunition,  tobacco,  and  such 
other  things  as  are  necessary  for  warriors,  are  requisite,  if  you  please  to  send 
them. 

"  The  Chief-with-one-Eye  and  Dewantale,  with  their  bands,  are  going  to 
Detroit;  as  it  is  their  custom  after  striking  a  blow  to  return  and  see  their 
families;  but  whatever  you  may  tell  them,  they  will  do  with  pleasure.  They 
behaved  very  well  whilst  with  me.  Sindewaltone,  your  friend,  the  little  old 
chief,  remains  with  me.  I  find  him  very  useful,  as  he  seems  willing  to  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  for  the  good  of  the  service.  He  is  of  great  service  to 
me  and  a  better  soldier  never  went  into  the  field. 

"  I  received  a  ball  through  both  my  legs  which  obliged  me  to  leave  the 
field.  If  I  had  not  been  so  unlucky  I  am  induced  to  think,  from  the  influence 
I  have  with  the  Indians,  the  enemy  would  not  have  left  the  place  we  sur- 
rounded them*in.  The  young  man  who  goes  in  with  letters  is  a  deserving 
young  man  and  I  hope  you  will  reward  him  well.  Please  send  us  some  pack 
ropes  and  stuff  for  bags  as  they  will  be  very  requisite.  Capt.  McKee  sets  out 
to-day  for  the  Shawanese  towns.  Wm.  Caldwell, 

"  Major  De  Peyster.  Captain  Commanding  at  Sandusky. 

"P.  S. —  I  must  beg  leave  to  recommend  Abraham  Corn,  whom  I  found 
very  useful." 


37%  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

noon.  As  these  succors  rendered  the  enemy  so  vastly  superior 
to  us  in  numbers,  and  as  they  could  collect  all  their  forces  in  a 
circuit  of  about  fifty  miles,  who  kept  pouring  in  hourly  from 
all  quarters  to  their  relief,  prudence  dictated  a  retreat.  This 
was  effected  in  the  night  of  the  oth  and  morning  of  the  Gth 
instant. 

The  whole  body  was  formed  to  take  up  their  Hue  of  march, 


[VI. —  De  Peyster   to    Brig.    Gen.  H.  W.  Powell,  Commanding  at 

Niagara.] 

"  Detroit,  June  12,  1782. 

liSir: — I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  the  rangers  and  confederate 
Indians  from  this  post,  have  been  successful  in  opposing  the  enemy  at  San- 
dusky. I  herewith  enclose  letters  and  Indian  speeches  to  that  purpose.  You 
will  see  how  they  push  me  for  more  assistance,  which  it  is  not  in  my  power  to 
grant  in  the  ruinous  state  the  new  fort  is  at  present, —  it  having  almost  under- 
gone an  inundation.  If  this  weather  continues  I  fear  it  will  level  our  works. 
The  oldest  people  here  do  not  remember  such  a  rainy  season.  We  are  much 
at  a  loss  for  tools  to  carry  on  the  works,  and  I  shall  want  iron  both  for  this 
place  and  Michillimackinac.  If  there  is  any  on  the  communication,  I  hope  you 
will  be  pleased  to  order  it  to  be  forwarded.  A't  S.  De  Peyster. 

"Brig.  Gen'l  Powell." 

[VII. —  De  Peyster  to  Thomas  Brown,  Superintendent  op  Indian 

Affairs.] 

"  Detroit,  July  18,  1782. 

"Sir: — I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  the  Indians  from  this  quarter  have 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  six  hundred  of  the  enemy  who  had  penetrated 
as  far  as  Sandusky,  with  a  view  of  destroying  the  Wyandots,  men,  women,  and 
children,  as  they  had  done  with  ninety-six  of  the  Christian  Indians  at  Musk- 
ingum [Tuscarawas]  a  few  weeks  before. 

"  The  affair  of  Sandusky  happened  on  the  4th  of  June,  when  the  enemy  left 
two  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  field ;  and  it  is  believed  that  few  of  the  remainder 
escaped  to  Wheeling. 

"  Their  major,  [John]  McClelland,  and  most  of  the  officers  were  killed  in  the 
action.  Colonel  Crawford,  who  commanded,  was  taken  in  the  pursuit  and  put 
to  death  by  the  Delawares,  notwithstanding  every  means  had  been  tried  by 
an  Indian  officer  [Matthew  Elliott]  present,  to  save  his  life.  This  the  Dela- 
wares declare  they  did  in  retaliation  for  the  affair  of  Muskingum  [the 
'  Gnadenhuetten  affair  'J. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  the  imprudence  of  the  enemy  has  been  the  means  of  reviv- 
ing the  old  savage  custom  of  putting  their  prisoners  to  death,  which,  with 
much  pains  and  expense,  we  had  weaned  the  Indians  from,  in  this  neighbor- 
hood.    .     .     .  A't  S.  De  I'lwster. 

"Tiios.  Brown,  Sup't  Indian  Affairs." 


Appendix  31.  373 

and  we  had  called  in  all  our  sentinels,  when  the  enemy  ob- 
serving our  intentions  begun  a  hot  fire.  We  secured  .'ill  our 
wounded  and  retreated  in  four  parties,  of  which  that  one 
suffered  most,  that  retired  along  the  common  road  between  the 
encampments  of  the  Shawanese  and  Delawares  in  our  rear. 
In  a  body  trained  to  the  strictest  discipline,  some  confusion 
would  have  arisen,  upon  such  an  occasion.     Several  were  con- 

[VIII. —  Gen.  Haldimand  to  Sir  Guy  Carlton.] 

"Quebec,  July  28,  1782. 
"...  It  is  necessary  to  acquaint  your  excellency,  which  I  do  with  much 
concern,  that  a  few  days  ago  I  had  advice  from  Detroit  that  a  party  of 
rangers  and  Indians  had  fallen  in  with  the  enemy  on  the  4th  and  5th  ultimo 
as  far  advanced  to  destroy  the  Indian  villages  at  Sandusky.  The  rebels  were 
near  six  thousand  strong  and  were  severely  dealt  with,  having  two  hundred 
and  fifty  killed  and  wounded.  A  most  unfortunate  circumstance  which 
attended  this  recounter,  though  extremely  bad  in  itself,  will  as  usual  be  ex- 
aggerated. A  Colonel  Crawford  (who  commanded)  and  two  captains  were 
tortured  by  the  Indians  in  retaliation  for  a  wanton  and  barbarous  massacre  of 
about  eighty  Moravian  Indians,  lately  committed  at  Muskingum  by  the  Virgin- 
ians, wherein  it  is  said  Mr.  Crawford  and  some  of  that  very  party  were  perpe- 
trators. I  hope  my  letter  will  arrive  time  enough  to  prevent  further  mischief, 
though  I  am  very  fearful  it  will  not  stop  here.  This  act  of  cruelty  is  to  be 
more  regretted,  as  it  awakens  in  the  Indians  that  barbarity  to  prisoners  which 
the  unwearied  efforts  of  his  majesty's  ministers  had  totally  extinguished.    .    . 

"  Frederick  Haldimand." 

[IX. —  De  Petster  to  Gen.  Fred'k  Haldimand.] 

"Detroit,  August  18,  1782. 

"I  am  just  honored  with  your  excellency's  letter  of  the  11th  of  July,  ap- 
proving the  conduct  of  the  officers  at  the  affair  at  Sandusky,  and  regretting 
the  cruelty  committed  by  some  of  the  Indians  upon  Colonel  Crawford,  desir- 
ing me  to  assure  them  of  your  utter  abhorrence  of  such  proceedings.  Believe 
me,  sir,  I  have  had  my  feelings  upon  this  occasion;  and  foreseeing  the  retalia- 
tion the  enemy  would  draw  upon  themselves  from  the  Indians,  I  did  every 
thing  in  my  power  to  reconcile  the  Delawares  to  the  horrid  massacre  their 
relations  underwent  at  Muskingum,  where  ninety-three  of  those  inoffensive 
people  were  put  to  death,  by  the  people  from  American  back  settlements,  in 
cool  blood;  and  I  believe  I  should  have  succeeded,  had  not  the  enemy  so  soon 
advanced  with  the  intent,  as  they  themselves  declared,  to  exterminate  the 
whole  Wyandot  tribe,  not  by  words  only,  but  even  by  exposing  effigies,  left 
hanging  by  the  heels  in  every  encampment. 

"Iliad  sent  messengers  throughout  the  Indian  country,  previous  to  the 
receipt  of  your  excellency's  letter,  threatening  to  recall  the  troops,  if  they,  the 


37 J/.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

sequently  separated.  But  the  main  body  was  collected  at 
day-break  five  miles  from  the  place  of  action,  on  the  ground 
where  the  town  formerly  stood.  Here  the  command  devolved 
upon  Colonel  Williamson,  as  Colonel  Crawford  was  missing, 
whose  loss  we  all  regretted. 

The  enemy  hung  upon  our  rear  through  the  plains.  It  was 
evidently  their  design  to  retard  our  march,  until  they  could 

Indians,  did  not  desist  from  cruelty.  I  have  frequently  signified  to  the  Indians 
how  much  you  abhor  cruelty,  and  I  shall  to-morrow  dispatch  a  person  1  have 
great  confidence  in,  to  cany  your  instructions  to  the  southern  nations. 

"  We  have  been  alarmed  here  with  the  accounts  of  a  formidable  body  of  the 
enemy,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Hands,  advancing  this  way,  which  occa- 
sioned my  reinforcing  Captain  Caldwell,  and  sending  Captain  Grant  to  the 
Miamie  with  the  armed  vessels  and  gun-boats.  Our  scouts  now  report  the 
enemy  having  retired.  Captain  Caldwell  remains  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio,  and  Captain  Grant  arrived  here  yesterday.  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
with  great  respect,  sir,  your  excellency's  most  humble  and  most  obedient 
servant,  A.  S.  De  Peyster. 

"His  Excellency  General  Haldihan,  commander-in-chief,  etc." 

[X. —  Extract  from  a  Speech  Delivered  to  Brig.  Gen.  McLean  by 
Chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  11  Dec,  1782.] 

"  We  have  hitherto,  in  general,  refrained  from  retaliating  their  [the  Ameri- 
cans'! cruelties,  except  in  the  instance  of  Colonel  Crawford,  the  principal  agent 
in  the  murder  of  the  Moravians,  and  he  was  burned  with  justice  and  accord- 
ing to  our  custom." 

The  following  extracts  from  American  newspapers  and  a  British  period- 
ical refer  to  Crawford's  campaign : 

I. 

"  It  is  reported,  that  a  party  of  about  500  volunteers,  who  marched  under 

the  command  of  Colonel  Crawford,   from  the  neighborhood  of   Fort  Pitt, 

against  an  Indian  settlement  called  Sanduski,  were  attacked  within  nine  miles 

of  that  place,  and  were  obliged  to  retire.     When  the  last  accounts  came  from 

them  they  were  at  Muskingham,  and  it  is  said  about  thirty  of  the  party  are 

killed  and  wounded.     Colonel  Crawford  is  missing." — Pennsylvania  Packet, 

July  4th,  1782. 

II. 

"  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Fort  Pitt,  15  June,  1782: 

'A  party  of  volunteers,  to  the  number  of  400,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  William  Crawford,  formed  a  plan  of  surprising  the  upper  town  of 
Sandusky.  We  marched  the  24th  of  May  from  the  Mingo  Bottom,  on  the 
Ohio  river,  with  the  utmost  precaution  and  secrecy,  through  the  woods,  but 
were  unfortunately  discovered  by  some  skulking  Indians  on  crossing  the  Mus- 


Appendix  M. 


possess  themselves  of  some  advantageous  ground  in  front,  and 
so  cut  off  our  retreat,  or  oblige  us  to  fight  them  to  disad- 
vantage.  Though  it  was  our  business  studiously  to  avoid 
engaging  in  the  plains,  on  account  of  the  enemy's  superiority 
in  light  cavalry,  they  pressed  our  rear  so  hard,  that  we  con- 
cluded upon  a  general  and  vigorous  attack,  whilst  our  light 

kingum  [Tuscarawas]  river.  Notwithstanding'  our  small  number,  we  con- 
tinued our  march  and  met  the  enemy  on  the  4th  of  June  in  the  plains  of 
Sandusky  a  few  miles  from  their  town  where  they  had  sufficient  time  to  collect 
their  own  forces  and  alarm  the  adjacent  nations.  A  hot  action  ensued,  which 
lasted  from  4  o'clock  P.  M.,  until  sunset.  Both  parties  obstinately  contended 
for  an  advantageous  piece  of  ground,  from  which  we  drove  the  enemy  with 
the  loss  of  several  scalps.  We  had  5  killed  and  19  wounded  in  this  action. 
The  firing  began  at  day-break  on  the  5th,  and  continued  all  day.  Our  party 
were  so  encumbered  with  their  wounded  that  the  whole  day  was  spent  in  their 
care,  in  defending  our  guard,  and  in  preparing  for  a  vigorous  attack  the  suc- 
ceeding night.  In  the  afternoon,  a  larga  body  of  mounted  rangers  and  200 
Shawanese  arrived  to  their  relief.  As  this  succor  rendered  the  enemy  so  vastly 
superior  to  us  and  as  all  their  forces  lay  in  a  circuit  of  50  miles,  who  were 
hourly  pouring  in  numbers,  prudence  dictated  a  retreat.  This  was  effected 
on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  with  so  much  regularity  that  none  of  our  wounded 
were  left.  The  enemy  pursued  us  twenty  miles  to  the  end  of  the  plains  and 
attempted  to  hinder  us  from  entering  the  woods.  This  brought  on  a  hot  ac- 
tion for  an  hour,  in  which  the  enemy  suffered  so  much,  that  they  never  after- 
wards attempted  to  molest  us  on  our  march.  We  had  three  killed  and  six 
wounded  in  this  action.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  ascertain  the  loss  of  the 
enemy  which  was  very  considerable.  Ours  amounted  in  killed  and  missing  to 
30.     Among  the  latter,  Colonel  Crawford.'  " — Pennsylvania  Gazette,  July  17, 

1782. 

III. 

"  Extract  of  a  letter  dated  Fort  Pitt,  July  6th,  1782: 

'The  expedition  formed  by  Colonel  Crawford  with  about  500  militia  I  sup- 
pose you  have  heard  of,  but  now  I  have  it  in  my  power  to  give  you  the  par- 
ticulars as  near  as  can  well  be  collected.  I  think  it  was  about  the  6th  of  June, 
they  arrived  within  two  or  three  miles  of  Upper  St.  Dusky  [Sandusky],  an  In- 
dian town  within  200  miles  of  Fort  Pitt,  near  a  northwest  course,  where  the 
savages  lay  in  ambuscade  for  them,  and  a  warm  action  ensued,  commencing 
about  3  in  the  afternoon,  but  in  the  utmost  disorder;  our  people  were  obliged 
to  retreat  at  dark.  The  Indians  in  company  with  some  red-coats,  mounted 
horses  for  speed  and  overhauled  our  people  at  a  certain  plain,  25  miles  from 
the  town,  where  they  fought  for  a  considerable  time,  but  were  again  forced  to 
make  their  best  way  home,  the  enemy  hanging  on  their  rear  until  they  came 
to  the  Ohio.  The  details  are  so  irregular  it  is  not  easy  to  ascertain  the  loss 
on  our  part,  but  I  believe  it  is  from  50  to  70  missing.     Yesterday  one  Dr. 


376  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

horse  secured  the  entrance  of  the  woods.  In  less  than  an  hour 
the  enemy  gave  way  on  all  sides  and  never  after  attempted  to 
molest  us  any  more  on  our  march.  We  had  three  killed  and 
eight  wounded  in  this  action,  besides  several  missing,  who  after- 
wards joined  us  again,  before  we  crossed  the  Muskingum 
[Tuscarawas]  on  the  10th  instant,  between  the  two  upper  Mo- 
ravian towns. 

Knight  who  was  taken  with  Col.  Crawford  arrived  here  after  living  for  21  days 
upon  herbs  in  the  woods.  He  says  that  five  days  after  they  were  taken  the 
Delaware  Indians  burnt  the  Col.  with  the  most  excruciating  pain,  first  tied 
him  to  a  long  post  with  room  to  walk  round  it,  then  cut  off  Ids  ears,  after 
that  blew  squibs  of  powder  on  different  parts  of  his  body ;  then  the  squaws 
procured  hickory  brands  and  darted  against  such  parts  as  they  thought  might 
most  affect  him;  they  then  scalped  him  and  slapped  the  scalp  in  the  Dr.'s 
face, —  told  him  that  was  his  big  captain;  the  Col.  was  still  alive.  This  ho 
thinks  was  an  hour  after  the  Col.  was  tied  up,  when  he  (the  Dr.)  was  taken 
away.  Just  as  he  was  leaving  him  the  Col.  leaned  upon  his  knee  and  elbow 
for  rest,  when  a  squaw  took  a  shovel  of  hot  embers  and  threw  upon  his  back 
to  put  him  again  in  motion.  The  next  day  under  the  guard  of  one  man  the 
Dr.  passed  the  same  place  and  saw  some  of  the  Col.'s  bones  in  the  ashes.  The 
Col.  he  says  made  little  noise;  he  begged  one  Simon  Girty,  whom  he  formerly 
knew  at  Fort  Pitt,  to  shoot  him,  but  Girty  said  with  a  laugh  he  had  no  gun, 
that  examples  must  take  place.  The  Moravian  towns  were  destroyed  and  in- 
habitants by  our  militia,  and  then  told  the  Dr.  there  were  Delaware  towns 
which  also  must  have  an  example,  for  which  purpose  he  (the  Dr.)  must  be 
sent  there  the  next  day.  After  one  day's  journey,  with  the  one  man  guard- 
ing him,  the  morning  following,  the  Indian  loosed  the  pinions  which  bound 
the  Dr.  and  fell  to  repairing  the  fire,  when  the  Dr.  picked  up  a  stick  and  tho, 
weak,  knocked  him  almost  down  and  secured  his  gun,  snapped  her  at  the  In- 
dian, but  could  not  get  her  off;  however,  the  Indian  ran  and  the  Dr.  made  his 
escape.  He  says  that  the  Delawares  took  nine  besides  himself  and  the  Colonel; 
that  the  squaws  and  children  as  well  as  the  men  were  employed  in  tomahawk- 
ing them  till  the  nine  were  killed.  Such  as  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Shaw- 
anese  are  well  treated.  The  militia  are  greatly  enraged  and  determined  on 
having  ample  satisfaction.'  " — Pennsylvania  Journal  and  Weekly  Advertiser, 
July  23,  1782. 

IV. 

"A  gentleman  from  Fort  Pitt  informs  that  another  of  Col.  Crawford's 
party  had  escaped  from  the  Indians  by  slipping  from  his  guards  whilst  they 
were  asleep.  He  says  they  tied  Col.  Harrison,  who  was  taken  in  the  same 
party,  and  was  Col.  Crawfor  1*8  son-in-law,  to  a  stake  where  they  fired  pow- 
d  r  at  him  till  h  •  died;  when  they  quartered  him  and  left  the  quarters  hang- 
ing on  four  poles.  II;  adds  that  about  40  of  the  party  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  savages." — Same,  July  27,  1782. 


Appendix  M.  377 


The  unremitting  activity  of  Colonel  Williamson  surmounted 
every  obstacle  and  difficulty,  in  getting  the  wounded  along. 
Several  of  them  are  in  a  dangerous  condition  and  want  imme- 
diate assistance,  of  which  they  have  been  deprived  since  the 
loss  of  Dr.  Knierht. 


V. 

"Extract  of  a  letter  from  Westmoreland  county,  Pa.,  1G  July,  1782: 
'In  a  former  letter  T  informed  you  of  the  unhappy  fate  of  Col.  Crawford, 
since  which  a  man  has  made  his  escape  from  the  Indians  who  says  that  fire 
was  made  for  his  torture,  when  a  very  heavy  rain  came  on  and  obliged  them 
to  defer  his  execution.  During  the  night  he  was  left  tied  in  the  care  of  three 
Indians  who  fell  asleep ;  that  he  got  loose  and  escape!  without  waking  the 
Indians  and  arrived  here  seven  days  after.  He  says  the  Indian  from  whom 
Dr.  Knight  escaped  came  to  the  town  he  was  in,  with  his  heal  much  cut;  that 
the  Delawares  applied  to  the  Muncies  for  Col.  Wm.  Harrison  (son-in-law  to 
Crawford),  who  being  given  up  was  tortured  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  they 
having  bound  him  to  a  stake,  fired  powder  through  every  part  of  his  skin  for 
an  hour,  after  which  they  cut  him  in  quarters  and  hung  them  on  stakes.  This 
and  other  similar  acts  of  barbarity  the  Indians  said  they  did  in  revenge  for  the 
murders  and  robberies  committed  by  our  frontier  inhabitants  on  their  relations, 
the  Moravians;  and  that  in  future  they  would  spare  none  of  our  people.'  " — 
Pennsylvania  Packet,  July  30,  1782. 

VI. 

"  Richmond  (Virginia),  August  17th.  .  .  After  the  barbarous  massacre 
of  Colonel  Crawford,  as  mentioned  in  one  of  our  late  papers,  the  Delawares 
demanded  his  son-indaw,  Colonel  William  Harrison,  and  his  nephew  [Will- 
iam] Crawford,  of  the  Shawanese,  by  whom  they  had  been  taken;  and  they 
were  accordingly  given  up.  They  both  experienced  the  most  horrid  tortures 
until  they  were  dead.  Colonel  Harrison  was  then  quartered  and  stuck  up  on 
poles.  One  Slover  was  to  have  been  put  to  death  in  the  same  manner ;  the 
fire  had  been  once  kindled  for  him,  but  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  falling  saved 
his  life  then,  and  before  the  next  day  he  fortunately  escaped. " —  Same,  August 

27,  1782. 

VII.      . 

"Ex'ractof  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  at  Quebec,  to  his  friend  at  Edin- 
burgh, dated  July  17,  1782.  '  The  resolutions  of  parliament  to  put  an  end  to 
the  American  war,  are,  I  am  afraid,  not  transmitted  to  Canada,  for  the  bloody 
butchery  is  still  carrying  on  in  the  upper  parts  of  this  province.  A  Colonel 
Clark,  commanding  a  large  party  of  Americans  in  the  Illinois  country,  has 
been  for  some  years  meditating  an  attempt  upon  Fort  Detroit,  but  hitherto 
has  always  been  defeated  by  the  vigilance  and  activity  of  the  Indians.  This 
year  Clark  had  assembled  about  4,000  men,  and  by  late  letters  we  have  heard, 
that  he  was  on  his  march  to  Detroit.     He  had  ordered  a  Major  Crawford  to 


378  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

Since  my  arrival  here,  I  rind  that  different  small  parties 
who  were  separated  from  ns  either  by  the  enemy  or  by 
fear,  are  arrived  before  ns.  Our  loss  will  not  exceed  thirty 
men,  at  a  moderate  computation,  in  killed  and  missing. 
Colonel  Crawford  has  not  been  heard  of  since  the  night  of  the 
5th  instant,  and  I  fear  is  among  the  killed. 


XV. —  Irvine  to  Col.  Evans. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  18,  17S2. 
Sir: — I  received  your  letter  by  Mr.  Thomas  in  answer  to 
mine  of  the  5th  of  April,  and  have  ever  since  that  time  ex- 
pected a  direct  application  from  you  for  a  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion, but  your  silence  on  that  head  leads  me  to  think  you  had 
been  provided  at  some  other  quarter;  however,  if  you  have 
not,  and  will  take  the  trouble  to  send,  I  will  furnish  you  with 
some;  and,  any  assistance  in  my  power  to  afford,  you  may  de- 
pend on.  I  am  informed  by  the  secretary  at  war  of  Virginia 
that  a  company  has  been  sent  from  Hampshire  to  your  relief 
or  assistance. 

advance  before  his  main  body,  with  about  500  men,  and  they  had  actually 
reached  St.  Dou>kie,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Detroit,  when  intelligence  was 
brought  to  Major  De  Peyster,  the  commanding  officer  at  the  fort.  He  in- 
stantly collected  all  the  Indians  he  could,  and  sent  a  Mr.  Caldwell,  a  young 
American,  with  them,  and  a  party  of  regulars,  to  surprise  Major  Crawford, 
before  he  was  joined  by  Clark;  he  did  so  effectually,  for  he  completely  routed 
the  party,  and  took  about  two  hundred  prisoners.  The  Indians,  who  were 
the  chief  actors  in  this  scene,  gave  over  the  prisoners  to  their  women,  who  in- 
stantly tomahawked  every  man  of  thein  with  the  most  horrid  circumstances  of 
barbarity.  It  is  unusual  for  the  Indians  to  put  their  prisoners  to  death,  but 
the  Americans  ha  1  this  spring  destroyed  an  Indian  village,  and  put  their 
women  and  children  to  the  sword,  for  which  inhuman  act  the  Indian  nations 
are  resolved  to  take  full  revenge,  as  Crawford  and  his  party  wofully  experi- 
enced."—  The  Remembrancer  (Lond.  1782),  Part  II,  pp.  255,  256. 


Appendix  M.  379 


XYI. — Captains   Robert  Be  all  and  Thomas  Moore1   to 

Irvine. 

XiNGafJune  23,  1T82. 

Sir: — The  unfortunate  miscarriage  of  the  late  expedition 
[under  Col.  Crawford  against  Sandusky],  the  common  interest 
of  our  country,  and  the  loss  of  our  friends,  induce  us  to  be 
thus  forward  in  proposing  another — the  plan  whereof  we  have 
herewith  transmitted  to  you,  the  appearance  it  hath  of  being 
carried  into  execution,  and  our  sincere  wishes  it  may  meet 
with  your  approbation.  But  if  conceived  impracticable,  we 
rest  assured  some  method  will  be  by  you  adopted  to  lead  us 
into  the  field  where  our  actions  shall  more  loudly  proclaim  the 
sentiments  of  our  hearts  than  words  can  do  here. 

We  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  giving  our  own  private 
sentiments,  but  those  of  the  people  generally  in  our  quarter; 
for  which  purpose  we  are  authorized  to  address  you.  And 
from  accounts  well  authenticated,  we  assure  yon  it  is  the  wish 
of  the  people  on  this  side  the  Monongaliela  river  without  a 
dissenting  voice. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Harrison  will  have  the  honor  of  delivering 
this,  to  whom  we  refer  you  for  particulars  if  required,  on 
whose  information  we  wish  you  to  depend,  as  it  will  be  con- 
fined to  strict  truth.3 


XVII. —  Irvine  to  Captains  Beall  and   Moore. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  26,  1782. 
Gentlemen: — I  received  your  favor  by  Captain  Harrison. 
Inclination  as  well  as  duty  is   a  continual  spur  to  me  not  only 
to  acquiesce  in,  but  to  encourage  every  measure  adopted  for 

1  Robert  Beall  and  Thomas  Moore  were  captains  in  the  Westmoreland 
militia. 

2 " Stewart's  Crossings ;"  these  "Xings"  were  nearly  opposite  the  present 
town  of  Connellsville,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania. 

3  On  the  22d  of  the  same  month,  these  men  also  sent  Irvine  a  proposition 
for  "carrying"  another  expedition  against  Sandusky  (see  p.  12:3,  note  2). 
Compare,  in  this  connection,  pp.  175,  303,  327,  328. 


380  Was/ti nylon-Irvine  Correspondence. 

the  public  good.  Your  proposals  on  this  occasion  are  so  truly 
patriotic  and  spirited,  that  I  should  look  on  myself  unpardon- 
able were  I  to  pass  them  unnoticed.  As  Captain  Harrison  is 
in  full  possession  of  my  ideas  on  the  subject,  he  can  inform 
you  better  verbally  than  would  perhaps  be  proper  to  commit 
fully  to  paper  on  some  points.  Your  intention  of  putting 
yourself  under  my  direction  I  have  a  most  grateful  sense  of, 
and  you  may  rest  assured  my  constant  endeavors  shall  be  to 
merit  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  so  worthy  a  body  of  men 
as  those  you  represent. 

XVIII. —  Colonel   Evans  to  Irvine. 

Monongalia  County,  Jane  30,  1782. 

Dear  Sir: — It  is  his  excellency,  the  governor's  orders  to 
me,  that  for  the  more  effective  protection  of  our  western 
frontiers  everything  relative  thereto  should  be  submitted  to 
your  direction.1 

I  am  therefore  under  the  necessity  of  informing  you  by  ex- 
press of  the  dangerous  situation  of  our  frontiers  in  this  state. 
The  enemy  are  frequently  in  our  settlements  murdering,  and 
we  are  situated  in  so  scattering  a  manner  that  we  are  not  able 
to  assist  one  another  in  time  of  need.  There  are  the  Ilorse- 
Shoe,  Tygart's  Valley,  "West  Fork,  Dunkard  Bottom  and 
where  I  live,  to  defend;  and,  in  the  whole,  we  have  not  more 
than  three  hundred  militia  fit  for  duty.  Those  settlements 
are  a  very  great  distance  apart,  and  no  one  settlement  able  to 
furnish  men  to  the  relief  of  the  others.  One  article  we  are 
destitute  of — that  is  provision;  we  have  it  not  amongst  us. 
The  company  from  Hampshire  I  have  stationed  at  Tygart's 
Valley,  Horse-Shoe  and  West  Fork.  I  have  got  a  small  sup- 
ply of  ammunition  from  government. 

I  pray  you  may  adopt  some  mode  of  the  men  being  fur- 
nished with  provision,  with  orders  to  me  for  the  number  of 
men  you  may  think  proper  to  be  kept  in  service.  Provision  is 
the  greatest  article  and  without  your  assistance  I  much  fear 
our  settlements  will  break.     The  defeat  of  Colonel  Crawford 

'The  same  orders  from  the  governor  of  Virginia  were  sent  to  David  Shep- 
herd, the  lieutenant  of  Ohio  county  (ante,  p.  356,  note  4). 


Appendix  M.  381 

occasions  much  dread.  I  fear  what  will  be  the  event,  without 
relief.  I  must  make  bold  to  apply  to  you  for  some  paper  to 
do  the  public  writing  on  as  I  am  quite  without  [any],     Fou 

will  please  to  write  your  sentiments  by  the  express  so  that  1 
may  be  enabled  [to  know]  in  what  manner  to  act. 


XIX. —  Michael  Huffnagle  to  Ikvine. 

Hannastown,  July  14,  1782. 

Dear  Si)*: — At  the  request  of  Major  Wilson,  I  am  sorry  to 
inform  you  that  yesterday  about  two  o'clock,  this  town  was  at- 
tacked by  about  one  hundred  Indians,  and  in  a  very  little  time 
the  whole  town  except  two  houses  was  laid  in  ashes.1  The  peo- 
ple retired  to  the  fort  where  they  withstood  the  attack,  which 
was  very  severe  until  after  dark  when  they  left  us.  The  in- 
habitants here  are  in  a  very  distressed  situation,  having  lost 
all  their  property  but  what  clothing  they  had  on. 

At  the  same  time  we  were  attacked  here,  another  party  at- 
tacked the  settlement.  What  mischief  they  may  have  done 
we  have  not  been  able  as  yet  to  know;  only  that  Mr.  Ilanna, 
here,  had  his  wife  and  his  daughter  Jenny  taken  prisoners. 
Two  were  wounded  —  one  out  of  the  fort  and  one  in.  Lieu- 
tenant Brownlee  and  one  of  his  children  with  one  White's 
wife  and  two  children  were  killed  about  two  miles  from  town. 

This  far  I  wrote  you  this  morning.  The  express  has  just  re- 
turned and  informs  that  when  he  came  near  Brush  Run  the 
Indians  had  attacked  that  place,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return. 
If  you  consider  our  situation,  with  onty  twenty  of  the  inhab- 
itants, seventeen  guns  and  very  little  ammunition,  to  stand 
the  attack  in  the  manner  we  did,  you  will  say  that  the  people 
behaved  bravely.  I  have  lost  what  little  property  I  had  here, 
together  with  my  papers.  The  records  of  the  county,  I  shall, 
as  soon  as  I  can  get  horses,  remove  to  Pittsburgh,  as  this  place 
will  in  a  few  days  be  vacated.  You  will  please  to  mention  to 
Mr.  Duncan  to  do  all  he  can  for  the  supplying  of  the  garrison 
until  I  shall  be  able  to  get  a  horse,  having  lost  my  horse,  sad- 
dle and  bridle. 

1  Ante,  pp.  250-253,  303;  also,  post,  p.  383. 


3S2  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XX. —  Irvine  to  Colonel  Evans. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  1G,  1782. 
Sir: —  I  did  not  receive  your  letter  of  the  30th  of  June 
until  last  night.  How  an  express  could  be  so  long  on  the  way 
is  unaccountable  to  me.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  determine 
the  number  of  men  that  would  be  necessary  for  the  defense  of 
the  country  you  mention,  not  being  acquainted  with  the  situ- 
ation, inroads  of  the  enemy,  nor  an}'  circumstances,  except  by 
slight  information.  But  as  government  has  already  made  ar- 
rangements for  your  defense  on  your  representation,  I  do  not 
wish  to  make  any  alteration,  as  long  at  least  as  those  arrange- 
ments will  answer  the  end.  "When  they  fail,  I  will  doubtless 
give  every  assistance  in  my  power.  I  am  sorry,  however,  to 
inform  you  that  1  am  straitened  in  all  respects.  As  to  pro- 
visions, if  they  are  not  in  the  country,  it  will  be  totally  out  of 
my  power  to  give  any  assistance.  Provisions  for  all  parts  of 
the  army  are  now  found  by  contract,  at  a  certain  sum  for  each 
ration;  and  a  long  regulation  for  the  mode  of  issues,  and  di- 
rections ascertaining  what  will  be  vouchers  for  the  contractors, 
are  given,  which  would  be  too  long  for  a  letter.  Upon  the 
whole,  unless  you  can  find  some  person  who  will  contract  to 
furnish  rations,  I  know  not  what  is  to  be  done.  If  any  such 
person  can  be  found  in  your  quarter,  who  can  give  good  secur- 
ity for  his  performance,  I  will  enter  into  a  contract.  No 
money  is  to  be  advanced,  but  the  contractor  is  to  find  the  sup- 
plies and  will  be  paid  at  a  time  agreed  on.  For  this  and  other 
purposes,  it  would  be  best  for  you  or  some  other  intelligent 
person  to  come  here,  whom  you  may  send,  as  the  business  can- 
not be  transacted  by  letter.  There  is  not  an  ounce  of  public 
salt  now  anywhere.  The  contractors  find  a  proportion  of  salt 
with  the  rations. 

P.  S. —  Inclosed  is  the  present  system  for  issuing  provisions, 
which  must  be  invariably  adhered  to,  or  the  contractors  cannot 
be  paid.1 

1  These  regulations  are  lengthy  and  are  omitted,  as  possessing  little  interest. 


Appendix  M.  383 


XXI. —  Michael  IIiffxaglk  to  Irvim:. 

Hannastown,  July  17,  1782,-4  o'clock,  P.  M. 

Dear  General: — I  just  this  moment  received  yours  by  the 
soldier.  I  should  have  sent  you  an  express  on  Saturday  night, 
but  could  get  no  person  to  go,  as  the  enemy  did  not  entirely 
leave  us  until  Sunday  morning.  A  party  of  about  sixty  of 
our  people  went  out  last  Monday  and  found  where  they  were 
encamped  within  a  mile  of  this  place.  And  from  the  appear- 
ance of  the  camp  they  must  have  staid  there  all  day  Sunday. 
We  have  had  parties  out  since  and  find  their  route  to  be  towards 
the  Kiskiminetas  and  that  they  have  a  large  number  of  horses 
with  them.  They  have  likewise  killed  about  one  hundred  head* 
of  cattle  and  horses  and  have  only  left  about  half  a  dozen 
horses  for  the  inhabitants  here. 

Last  Sunday  morning,  the  enemy  attacked  at  one  Freeman's 
upon  Loyalhanna,  killed  his  son  and  took  two  daughters 
prisoners.  From  the  best  account  I  can  collect,  they  have  killed 
and  taken  twenty  of  the  inhabitants  hereabouts  and  burn  and 
destroy  as  they  go  along.  I  take  the  liberty  of  mentioning  if 
a  strong  party  could  follow  that  they  might  still  be  come  up 
with  them;  having  so  much  plunder  and  so  many  horses  with 
them,  I  imagine  they  will  go  slow.  As  for  the  country  rousing 
and  following  them,  I  am  afraid  we  need  not  put  any  depend- 
ence on  it;  as  several  parties,  some  of  thirty,  others  of  fifty 
[men],  would  come  in  on  Sunday  and  Monday  last  and  stay 
about  one  hour,  pity  our  situation,  and  push  home  again. 

I  am  much  afraid  that  the  scouting  parties  stationed  at  the 
different  posts  have  not  done  their  duty.  We  discovered 
where  the  enemy  had  encamped  and  they  must  have  been 
there  for  at  least  about  ten  days;  as  they  had  killed  several 
horses  and  eat  them  about  six  miles  from  Brush  run  and  right 
on  the  way  towards  Barr's  fort.  This  morning  about  four 
miles  from  this  place  towards  the  Loyalhanna  one  of  the 
men  from  this  fort  discovered  four  Indians  whom  he  took  to 
be  spies. 

I  have  mentioned  to  the  inhabitants  the  subject  of  making 


38 Jf.  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


a  stand  here.  They  are  willing  to  do  everything  in  their 
power  if  assistance  conld  be  given  them.  It  will  take  at  least 
fifty  men  to  keep  a  guard  in  the  garrison  and  guard  the  people 
to  get  in  their  little  crops,  which  ought  to  be  done  immedi- 
ately; otherwise,  they  will  be  entirely  lost.  By  a  small  party 
that  returned  last  evening,  I  am  informed  from  the  different 
camps  they  saw,  there  must  at  least  have  been  about  two  hun- 
dred of  the  enemy;  and  from  the  different  accounts  we  have 
from  all  quarters,  it  seems  that  they  had  determined  to  make 
a  general  attack  upon  the  frontiers. 

Sheriff  Jack  has  been  kind  enough  to  let  me  have  a  horse; 
to-morrow  morning,  I  shall  set  out,  and  in  a  few  days  shall 
supply  you  with  some  whisky  and  cattle.  I  have  just  this 
moment  been  informed  that  Richard  Wallace  and  one  Ander- 
son who  were  with  Lochry,  made  their  escape  from  Montreal 
and  have  arrived  safe  in  this  neighborhood.  As  soon  as  I  shall 
be  able  to  procure  what  intelligence  they  have,  I  shall  inform 
you. 

P.  S. —  The  inhabitants  of  this  place  having  lost  what  pro- 
visions they  had,  they  made  application  to  me  to  supply  them 
with  some.  I  had  a  quantity  of  flour  and  some  meat.  I  took 
the  liberty  of  supplying  them  and  hope  it  will  meet  with  your 
approbation;  and  when  I  shall  see  you  [you  can]  give  me  par- 
ticular directions  for  that  purpose. 


XXII. —  Irvine  to  Mrs.  Mary  Willard. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  21,  1782. 
Madam:  —The  bearer  informs  me  you  have  sent  him  to 
apply  for  the  Indian  to  be  delivered  up  to  you   who  killed 
your  family.1     You  know  I  offered  to  deliver  him  on  your 

1  "In  Pittsburgh  (Pennsylvania),  about  the  year  1782,  one  evening  just  in 
the  twilight,  there  was  found  sitting  in  a  porch,  an  Indian  with  a  light  pole 
in  his  hand.  He  spoke  in  broken  English  to  the  person  of  the  house  who 
first  came  out,  and  asked  for  milk.  The  person  (a  girl)  ran  in  and  returning 
with  others  of  the  family  they  came  to  see  what  it  was  that  had  something 
like  the  appearance  of  a  human  skeleton.    He  was  to  the  last  degree  emaci- 


Appendix  M.  385 

other  application,  but  through  the  advice  of  some  of  your 
friends,  because  you  had  some  hope  your  daughter  was  not 
killed,  you  chose  to  have  him  remain  with  me  to  try  to  get 
her  exchanged  for  him.     In  addition  to  your  husband,  you  are 

ated,  with  scarcely  the  semblance  of  flesh  upon  his  bones.  One  of  his  limbs 
had  been  wounded;  and  it  had  been  on  one  foot  and  by  the  help  of  the  pole 
that  he  had  made  his-way  to  this  place.  Being  questioned,  he  appeared  too 
weak  to  give  an  account  of  himself,  but  asked  for  milk,  which  was  given  him, 
and  word  sent  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  garrison  at  that  place  (General 
William  Irvine),  who  sent  a  guard  and  had  him  taken  to  the  garrison.  After 
having  had  food  and  now  being  able  to  give  some  account  of  himself,  he  was 
questioned  by  the  interpreter  (Joseph  Nicholson).  He  related  that  he  had  been 
on  Beaver  river  trapping,  and  had  a  difference  with  a  Mingo  Indian  who  had 
shot  him  in  the  leg,  because  he  had  said  he  wished  to  come  to  the  white 
people. 

"Being  told  that  this  was  not  credible,  but  that  he  must  tell  the  truth,  and 
that  in  so  doing  he  would  fare  the  better,  he  gave  the  following  account,  to 
wit:  that  he  was  one  of  a  party  which  had  struck  the  settlement  in  the  last 
moon,  and  attacked  a  fort,  and  killed  some  and  took  some  prisoners. 

"  This  appeared  to  be  a  fort  known  by  the  name  of  Wal tour's  fort  by  the 
account  which  he  gave,  which  is  at  the  distance  of  twenty-three  miles  from 
the  town  on  the  Pennsylvania  road  towards  Philadelphia,  and  within  eight 
miles  of  what  is  now  Greensburg.  He  stated  that  it  was  there  that  he 
received  his  wound. 

"The  fact  was  that  the  old  man  Waltour,  his  daughter  and  two  sons  were 
at  work  in  the  field,  having  their  guns  at  some  distance,  and  which  they 
seized,  on  the  appearance  of  the  Indians,  and  made  towards  the  fort.  This 
was  one  of  those  stockades  or  block-houses  to  which  a  few  families  of  the 
neighborhood  collected  in  times  of  danger,  and  going  to  their  fields  in  the 
day  returned  at  night  to  this  place  of  security. 

"  These  persons  in  the  field  were  pursued  by  the  Indians  and  the  young 
woman  taken.  The  old  man  with  his  son  kept  up  a  fire  as  they  retreated  and 
had  got  to  the  distance  of  about  an  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  fort 
when  the  old  man  fell.  An  Indian  had  got  upon  him  and  was  about  to  take 
his  scalp,  when  one  in  the  fort  directing  his  rifle,  fired  upon  the  Indian  who 
made  a  horrid  yell  and  made  off,  limping  on  one  foot.  This  was  in  fact  the 
very  Indian,  as  it  now  appeared,  that  had  come  to  the  town.  He  confessed 
the  fact,  and  said,  that  on  the  party  with  which  he  was,  being  pursued,  he  had 
hid  himself  in  the  bushes  a  few  yards  from  the  path,  along  which  the  people 
from  the  fort  in  pursuit  of  them  came.  After  the  mischief  was  done,  a  party 
of  our  people  had  pursued  the  Indians  to  the  Alleghany  river,  tracing  their 
course,  and  had  found  the  body  of  the  youmg  woman  whom  they  had  taken 
prisoner  but  had  tomahawked  and  left.  The  Indian,  as  we  have  said,  contin- 
uing his  story  to  the  interpreter,  gave  us  to  understand  that  he  lay  three  days 
without  moving  from  the  place  where  he  first  threw  himself  into  the  bushes, 
25 


Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


now  certain  she  is  killed;  you,  therefore,  wish  to  retaliate  your 
vengeance  on  him,  not  considering  there  are  numbers  of  peo- 
ple in  the  same  situation  as  yourself. 

Some  of  your  near  neighbors  at  Hannastown  are  killed  and 

until  a  pursuit  might  be  over,  lest  he  should  be  tracked;  that  after  this  he 
had  got  along  on  his  hands  and  feet,  until  he  found  this  pole  in  the  marsh 
which  he  had  used  to  assist  him,  and  in  the  mean  time  had  lived  on  berries 
and  roots;  that  he  had  come  to  a  post  some  distance,  and  thought  of  giving 
himself  up,  and  lay  all  day  on  a  hill  above  the  place  thinking  whether  he 
would  or  not,  but  seeing  that  they  were  all  militia  men  and  no  regulars,  he 
did  not  venture. 

"The  Indians  well  knew  the  distinction  between  regulars  and  militia,  and 
from  these  last  they  expect  no  quarter. 

"The  post  of  which  he  spoke  was  about  twelve  miles  from  Pittsburgh  on 
the  Pennsylvania  road  at  the  crossings  of  what  is  called  Turtle  creek.  It 
was  now  thirty-eight  days  since  the  affair  of  Waltour's  fort,  and  during  that 
time  this  miserable  creature  had  subsisted  on  plants  and  roots  and  had  made 
his  way  on  one  foot  by  the  help  of  the  pole.  According  to  his  account, 
he  had  first  attempted  a  course  to  his  own  country  by  crossing  the  Alleghany 
river  a  considerable  distance  above  the  town,  but  strength  failing  to  accom- 
plish this,  he  had  wished  to  gain  the  garrison  where  the  regular  troops  were; 
having  been  at  this  place  before  the  war;  and,  in  fact,  he  was  now  known  to 
some  of  the  garrison  by  the  name  of  Davy.  I  saw  the  Indian  in  the  garrison 
after  his  confession,  some  days,  and  was  struck  with  the  endeavors  of  the 
creature  to  conciliate  good-will  by  smiling  and  affecting  placability  and  a 
friendly  disposition. 

"The  question  now  was  what  to  do  with  him.  From  the  mode  of  war 
carried  on  by  the  savages,  they  are  not  entitled  to  the  laws  of  nations.  But 
are  we  not  bound  by  the  laws  of  nature,  to  spare  those  that  are  in  our  power ; 
and  does  not  our  right  to  put  to  death  cease,  when  an  enemy  ceases  to  have 
it  in  his  power  to  injure  us.  This  (liable  boitieux,  or  devil  on  two  sticks,  as 
they  may  be  called  —  his  leg  and  his  pole  —  would  not  seem  to  be  likely  to  come 
to  war  again. 

"In  the  mean  time  the  widow  [Mrs.  Mary  Willard]  of  the  man  who  had 
been  killed  at  Waltour's  fort  and  mother  of  the  young  woman  who  had  been 
taken  prisoner  and  found  tomahawked,  accompanied  by  a  deputation  of  the 
people  of  the  settlement,  came  to  the  garrison,  and  addressing  themself  to 
the  commanding  officer,  demanded  that  the  Indian  should  be  delivered  up 
that  it  might  be  done  with  him,  as  the  widow  and  mother  and  relations  of 
the  deceased  should  think  proper.  After  much  deliberation,  and  the  country 
being  greatly  dissatisfied  that  he  was  spared,  and  a  great  clamour  \  revailing 
through  the  settlement,  it  was  thought  advisable  to  let  them  take  him,  and 
he  was  accordingly  delivered  up  to  the  militia  of  the  party  which  came  to 
demand  him.  He  was  put  upon  a  horse  and  earned  off  with  a  view  to  take 
him  to  the  spot  where  the  first  mischief  had  been  done  (Waltour's  fort). 


Appendix  M.  887 

it  is  said  some  of  them  are  prisoners.  Yon  ought,  therefore, 
to  consult  the  feelings  of  others  as  well  as  your  own  and  do 
nothing  rashly  till  you  have  the  advice  of  the  justices  of  the 
peace  and  principal  inhabitants  of  the  country.     To  these  I 

But,  as  they  were  carrying  hirn  along,  his  leg-,  the  fracture  of  which  hy  this 
time  was  almost  healed,  the  surgeon  of  the  garrison  having  attended  to  it, 
was  broken  again  by  a  fall  from  the  horse  which  had  happened  some  way  in 
the  carrying  him.  The  intention  of  the  people  was  to  summon  a  jury  of  the 
country  and  try  him,  at  least  for  the  sake  of  form,  but,  as  they  alleged,  in 
order  to  ascertain  whether  he  was  the  identical  Indian  that  had  been  of  the 
party  of  Waltour's  fort ;  though  it  is  not  very  probable  he  would  have  had 
an  impartial  trial,  there  having  been  a  considerable  prepossession  against  him. 

The  circumstance  of  being  an  Indian  would  have  been  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  condemn  him.  The  idea  was,  in  case  of  a  verdict  against  him, 
which  seemed  morally  certain,  to  execute  him,  according  to  the  Indian  man- 
ner, by  torture  and  burning.  For  the  fate  of  [Colonel  WilliamJ  Crawford 
and  others,  was  at  this  time  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  they  thought 
retaliation  a  principle  of  natural  justice.  But  while  the  jury  were  collecting, 
some  time  must  elapse,  that  night  at  least;  for  he  was  brought  to  the  fort,  or 
block-house  in  the  evening.  Accordingly,  a  strong  guard  was  appointed  to 
take  care  of  him,  while,  in  the  mean  time,  one  who  had  been  deputed  sheriff, 
went  to  summon  a  jury,  and  others  to  collect  wood  and  materials  for  the 
burning,  and  to  fix  upon  the  place,  which  was  to  be  the  identical  spot  where 
he  had  received  his  wound,  while  about  to  scalp  the  man  whom  he  had  shot 
in  the  field,  just  as  he  was  raising  the  scalp  halloo,  twisting  his  hand  in  the 
hair  of  the  head,  and  brandishing  his  scalping-knife.  It  is  to  be  presumed 
that  the  guard  may  be  said  to  have  been  off  their  guard  somewhat  on  account 
of  the  lameness  of  the  prisoner,  and  the  seeming  impossibility  that  he  could 
escape;  but  so  it  was,  that  while  engaged  in  conversation  on  the  burning  that 
was  to  take  place,  or  by  some  other  means  inattentive,  he  had  climbed  up  at  a 
remote  corner  of  the  block-house,  where  he  was,  and  got  to  the  joists,  and 
thence  upon  the  wall-plate  of  the  block-house,  and  thence  as  was  supposed 
got  down  on  the  outside  between  the  roof  and  the  wall-plate;  for  the  block- 
house is  so  constructed  that  the  roof  overjuts  the  wall  of  the  block-house, 
resting  on  the  ends  of  the  joists  that  protrude  a  foot  or  two  beyond  the  wall, 
for  the  purpose  of  those  within  firing  down  upon  the  Indians,  who  may 
approach  the  house  to  set  fire  to  it,  or  attempt  the  door.  But  so  it  was  that, 
towards  morning,  the  Indian  was  missed,  and  when  the  jury  met,  there  was 
no  Indian  to  be  brought  before  them.  Search  had  been  made  by  the  guard 
every  where,  and  the  jury  joined  in  the  search,  and  the  militia  went  out  in 
all  directions,  in  order  to  track  his  course  and  regain  the  prisoner.  But  no 
discovery  could  be  made,  and  the  guard  were  much  blamed  for  the  want  of 
vigilance;  though  some  supposed  that  he  had  been  let  go  on  the  princi- 
ple of  humanity  that  they  might  not  be  under  the  necessity  of  burning  him. 

The  search  had  been  abandoned,  but  three  days,  when  a  lad  looking  for 


388  Washington-Ti'vine  Correspondence. 

deliver  him  |"the  Indian],  particularly.  On  bis  arrival  with 
you,  you  will  have  the  justices  of  the  peace  sent  to  and  re- 
quested to  attend  on  a  certain  day;  on  which  day  several 
militia  officers  and  other  inhabitants  will  likewise  attend,  when 


his  horses,  saw  an  Indian  with  a  pole  or  long-  stick,  just  getting  on  one  of  them 
by  the  help  of  a  log  or  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree;  he  had  made  a  bridle  of  bark 
as  it  appeared  which  was  on  the  horse's  head  and  with  which  and  his  stick 
guiding  the  horse  he  set  off  at  a  smart  trot,  in  a  direction  towards  the  frontier 
of  the  settlement.  The  boy  was  afraid  to  discover  himself,  or  reclaim  his 
horse,  but  ran  home  and  gave  the  alarm,  on  which  a  party  in  the  course  of 
the  day  was  collected  and  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  Indian.  They  tracked  the 
horse  until  it  was  dark,  and  were  then  obliged  to  lie  by ;  but  in  the  morning 
taking  it  again,  they  tracked  the  horse  as  before,  but  found  the  course  varied 
taking  into  branches  of  streams  to  prevent  pursuit,  and  which  greatly  delayed 
them,  requiring  a  considerable  time  tracing  the  stream  and  to  find  where  the 
horse  had  taken  the  bank  and  come  out;  sometimes  taking  along  hard  ridges, 
though  not  directly  in  his  course,  where  the  tracks  of  the  horse  could  not  be 
seen ;  in  this  manner  he  had  got  on  to  the  Alleghany  river  where  they  found 
the  horse  with  the  bark  bridle,  where  he  appeared  to  have  been  left  but  a 
short  time  before.  The  sweat  was  scarcely  dry  upon  his  sides;  for  the  weather 
was  warm  and  he  appeared  to  have  been  ridden  hard;  the  distance  he  had 
come  was  about  ninety  miles.  It  was  presumed  the  Indian  had  swam  the 
river,  into  the  uninhabited  (and  what  was  then  called  the  Indian)  country, 
where  it  was  unsafe  for  the  small  party  that  were  in  pursuit  to  follow. 

"  After  the  war,  1  took  some  pains  to  inform  myself  whether  he  had  made 
his  way  good  to  the  Indian  towns,  the  nearest  of  which  was  Sandusky,  at  the 
distance  of  about  two  hundred  miles;  but  it  appeared  that,  after  all  his  efforts, 
he  had  been  unsuccessful,  and  had  not  reached  home.  He  had  been  drowned 
in  the  river  or  famished  in  the  woods,  or  his  broken  limb  had  occasioned  his 
death." — H.  H.  Brackenriclge. 

The  following  account,  written  by  Ephraim  Douglass  at  Fort  Pitt  (see  Penn. 
Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  vol.  I.,  pp.  46-48),  gives  particulars,  also,  of  the 
escape  of  the  "  pet  Indian  ": 

"  Pittsburgh,  July  26,  17S2. 
"My  Dear  General:  .  .  .  Some  three  months  ago,  or  thereabouts,  a 
party  of  Indians  made  a  stroke  (as  it  is  called  in  our  country  phrase)  at  a 
Btation  [Waltour's]  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  owner  of  the  place, 
Wolthower's  (or,  as  near  as  I  can  come  to  a  German  name),  when  they  killed 
an  old  man  and  his  sons,  and  captivated  [captured]  one  of  his  daughters. 

"  This  massacre  was  committed  so  near  the  fort  that  the  people  from  within 
fired  upon  the  Indians  so  successfully  as  to  wound  several  and  prevent  their 
scalping  the  dead.  The  girl  was  carried  to  within  about  six  miles  of  this  place, 
up  the  Alleghany  river,  where  her  bones  were  afterwards  found  with  manifest 
marks  on  her  skull  of  having  been  then  knocked  on  the  head  and  scalped.     One 


Appendix  M.  389 

doubtless  some  form  of  trial  will  be  gone  into.  I  have  en- 
joined the  people  who  have  charge  of  him  not  to  suffer  him 
to  be  hurt  till  this  is  done.1  If  after  all  due  deliberation  it  is 
thought  most  expedient  to  spare  his  life  for  the  present  in 
furtherance  of  political  purposes,  and  it  will  be  inconvenient 
to  secure  him,  he  must  be  brought  back  here  where  he  shall 
be  kept  safe  for  further  investigation. 


of  the  Indians  who  had  been  wounded  in  the  leg,  unable  to  make  any  consider- 
able way  and  in  this  conditioned  deserted  by  his  companions,  after  subsisting 
himself  upon  the  spontaneous  productions  of  the  woods  for  more  than  thirty 
successive  days,  crawled  into  this  village  in  the  most  miserable  plight  conceiv- 
able. He  was  received  by  the  military  and  carefully  guarded  till  about  five 
days  ago,  when,  at  the  reiterated  request  of  the  relations  of  those  unfortunate 
people  whom  he  had  been  employed  in  murdering,  he  was  delivered  to  four  or 
five  country  warriors  deputed  to  receive  and  conduct  him  to  the  place  which 
had  been  the  scene  of  his  cruelties,  distant  about  twenty-five  miles.  The 
wish,  and  perhaps  the  hope  of  getting  some  of  our  unfortunate  captives  re- 
stored to  their  friends  for  the  release  of  this  wretch,  and  the  natural  repug- 
nance every  man  of  spirit  has  to  sacrificing  uselessly  the  life  of  a  fellow- 
creature  whose  hands  are  tied,  to  the  resentment  of  an  unthinking  rabble, 
inclined  the  general  to  have  his  life  spared,  and  to  keep  him  still  in  close  con- 
finement. He  was  not  delivered  without  some  reluctance,  and  a  peremptory 
forbiddance  to  put  him  to  death  without  the  concurrence  of  the  magistrate 
and  most  respectable  inhabitants  of  the  district;  they  carried  him,  with 
every  mark  of  exultation,  away.  Thus  far,  I  give  it  you  authentic;  and  this 
evening,  one  of  the  inhabitants  returned  to  town,  from  Mr.  Wolthower's 
neighborhood,  who  finishes  the  history  of  our  pet  Indian  (so  he  was  ludi- 
crously called)  in  this  manner:  That  a  night  or  two  ago,  when  his  guards,  as 
they  ought  to  be,  were  in  a  profound  sleep,  our  Indian  stole  a  march  upon 
them  and  has  not  since  been  seen  or  heard  of. 

"  I  may,  perhaps,  give  you  the  sequel  of  this  history  another  day;  at  present, 
I  bid  you  good-night;  my  eyes  refuse  to  light  me  any  longer. 

"Pittsburgh,  4th  of  August,  1782. 

"Dear  Sir:  To  continue  my  narrative  —  our  pet  Indian  is  certainly  gone; 
he  was  seen  a  day  or  two  after  the  night  of  his  escape  very  well  mounted, 
and  has  not  since  been  seen  or  heard  of ;  the  heroas,  however,  who  had  him  in 
charge,  or  some  of  their  friends  or  connection,  ashamed  of  such  egregious 
stupidity,  and  desirous  of  being  thought  barbarous  murderers  rather  than 
negligent  block-heads,  have  propagated  several  very  different  reports  concern- 
ing his  supposed  execution,  all  of  them  believed  to  be  as  false  as  they  are 
ridiculous.     .     .     .  Ephraim  Douglass. 

"  To  Gen'l  James  Irvine." 

1  The  following  was  the  order  issued  by  Irvine : 

"You  are  hereby  enjoined  and  required  to  take  the  Indian  delivered  into 
your  charge  by  my  order,  and  carry  him  safe  into  the  settlement  of  Brush 


390  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXIII. —  Ebenezer  Zane1  to  Irvine. 

Wheeling,  July  22,  1782. 

Sir: —  I  applied  to  Colonel  Marshel  for  powder  to  furnish 
this  garrison  of  that  von  have  sent  to  Mingo  Bottom,  lie 
tells  me  it  is  already  issued  to  the  militia,  which  lays  us  under 
the  necessity  of  applying  once  more  to  you  for  thirty  or  forty 
pounds.  Any  powder  you  now  furnish  for  the  use  of  this 
garrison  I  will  undertake  to  account  for  and  replace  if  not 
burnt  at  the  enemy. 

Five  militia  are  all  the  strength  we  have  at  present,  except 
the  inhabitants  of  the  place.  A  few  Indians  have  been  view- 
ing our  garrison  yesterday  and  have  returned  on  their  back 
track,  in  consequence  of  which  Ave  may  shortly  expect  an 
attack.  If  any  aid  can  be  afforded,  it  will  be  very  acceptable; 
if  it  cannot,  we  mean  to  support  the  place  or  perish  in  the 
attempt.  

XXIV. —  Lieut.-Col.  Stephen  Bayard  to  Col.  McCleery. 

August  4,  1782. 
Sir: — I  have  sent  you  by  the  bearer,  William  Hathaway, 
eight  pounds  powder  and  sixteen  pounds  lead  for  the  partic- 
ular use  of  Jackson's  fort,  which  is  all  I  could  undertake  to 
send  in  the  general's  [Irvine's]  absence,  who  marches  this 
morning  with  a  party  of  regulars  toward  the  Mingo  Bottom.2 


creek.  You  will  afterward  warn  two  justices  of  the  peace,  and  request  their 
attendance  at  such  place  as  they  shall  think  proper  to  appoint,  with  several 
other  reputable  inhabitants.  Until  this  is  done  and  their  advice  and  direction 
had  in  the  matter,  you  are,  at  your  peril,  not  to  hurt  him  nor  suffer  any  per- 
son to  do  it.     Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Pitt,  July  21,  1782. 

"  To  Joseph  Studibaker,  Francis  Birely,  Jacob  Rudolph,  Jacob  Birely,  Henry 
Wilhird,  and  Frederick  Willard." 

1  Ebenezer  Zane  was  born  in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  October  7,  1747, 
and  died  in  1811.  At  an  early  day,  he  emigrated  to  the  west  and  settled  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 

JThe  following  letter  explains  the  reason  for  Irvine's  march: 

"Pittsburgh,  August  4,  1782. 

"  My  Dear  General: —  .  .  .  The  Indians  appear  at  length  to  have  taken 
up  the  business  of  killing  us  in  good  earnest.  Within  this  week,  they  made 
an  attempt  (happily  a  fruitless  one)  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  this  place, 
upon  a  number  of  people  —  whites  and  slaves  at  work  in  the  cornfield  of  a 


Appendix  M.  391 

"When  he  returns,  you  will  no  doubt  be  supplied  with  ammu- 
nition for  the  rangers.1 

gentleman  living  in  town  [Pittsburgh].     They  were  pursued  without  success. 
Since  this,  they  have  been  frequently  seen  in  our  neighborhood  and  have 
killed  several  within  a  few  miles  of  us.     The  general  [William  IrvineJ  has 
had  so  many  alarming  accounts  by  expresses  from  Washington  county  of 
the  numbers  and   probable  designs  of  the  savages  at  or  toward  Wheeling 
that  this  morning  he  marched  in  person  with  so  many  of  his  regulars  as  he 
thought  prudent  to  take  from  the  defense  of  this  post,  in  order  to  join  a 
body  of  militia  or  volunteers  assembled   for  the  purpose.     With  these,  he 
means  to  make  a  trial  of  the  spirit  of  the  Indians;    and,  from  the  com- 
plexion of  the  commander  and  forwardness  of   the  troops,  I  think  he  will 
push  them  hard  if  they  stay  his  arrival.     The  number  of  the  enemy  is  esti- 
mated at  about  one  hundred.     The  gentleman  who  first  viewed  them  and 
made  this  computation  was  Major  [Samuel]  McCullogh  [McColloch],  a  militia 
officer  of  invincible  spirit  and  acknowledged  enterprise.     On  his  first  dis- 
covery of  them,  they  had  not  yet  crossed  the  river.     He  returned  to  a  neigh- 
boring fort,  from  whence  he  wrote  letters  to  apprise  the  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  communicated  it  [sic]  to  the  county  lieutenants.      [See  Marshel 
to  Irvine,  July  30,  1782,  ante,  p.  306.]     Still  desirous  of  keeping  a  strict  watch 
upon  their  motions,  he  returned  towards  the  river  with  his  brother  and  some 
others  accompanying  him.     In  his  way,  he  came  upon  the  track  of  some  of 
the  en  my  who  had  crossed  the  river,  and  having  penetrated  some  distance 
into  the  country  were  now  on  their  return;  in  all  probability,  they  had  discov- 
ered McCullogh's  party,  for,  having  with  their  usual  artfulness  made  a  double 
upon,  and  way-laid  their  own  track,  they  fired  upon  them  undiscovered,  and 
the  unfortunate  major  lost  his  life,  justly  regretted  by  all  who  know  his 
character.     The  rest  of  the  little  party  fled,  but  not  till  the  brother  of  the 
unfortunate  had  shot  the  Indian  who  attempted  to  scalp  him.     About  the 
same  time,  two  young  men  were  fired  upon  in  a  canoe  almost  within  sight  of 
Wheeling  (Milnes  and  Smith),  the  latter  wounded  in  the  flesh  of  his  thigh, 
the  other's  thigh  broken  by  one  of  the  thirteen  balls  that  entered  his  body 
and  limbs;  they  were  both  alive  when  the  accounts  came  away.     .     .     . 

"Ephraim  Douglass. 
"To  Gen.    James   Irvine.1" — [Penn.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  Vol.  1, 
p.  48.    For  a  biographical  sketch  of  McColloch,  see  Doddridge's  Notes  (new 
ed.),  p.  301  ] 

1  Col.  William  McCIeery  was  one  of  the  sub-lieutenants  of  Washington 
county(  ante,  p.  279,  note  1).  He  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Irvine  which 
called  out,  in  the  general's  absence,  the  letter  of  Col.  Bayard  above: 

"Traveller's  Rest,  Washington  County,  August  3,  1782. 
"Dear  Sir: — The  bearer  will  call  upon  you  for  powder,  lead  and  Hints  for 
the  use  of  the  ranging  company  allotted  for  the  defense  of  our  frontiers  [two 
months]  the  time  proposed  for  their  continuance. 

"  Permit  me  to  observe  that  a  small  magazine  kept  at  this  place  far  the 
purpose  of  furnishing  those  men  men  that  may  be  called  upon  to  repel  the 


392  Washington-Irvine   Correspondence. 


XXY. —  Brig.-Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark1  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Nelson,2  August  10,  17S2. 
Sir: — By  Major  Walls,  I  learn  that  you  intend  to  make  a 
grand  push  against  the  enemy  on  the  lakes  this  fall,3  which 

enemy  from  time  to  time,  should  they  penetrate  into  our  settlements,  would 
render  essential  service  both  to  ourselves  and  country.  I  intended  to  have 
consulted  you  upon  this  matter  at  Catfish  [ante,  p.  303,  note  1],  but  in  the 
hurry  and  confusion  of  that  day,  it  was  neglected.  However,  should  you 
think  such  a  proceeding1  consistent,  you  will  be  good  enough  to  augment  the 
quantity  allotted  for  the  rangers,  so  as  I  may  be  enabled  to  furnish  for  the 
above  purposes.  At  the  same  time,  please  to  observe  that  men  living  in 
the  woods,  exposed  to  the  weather  (as  these  rangers  must  be),  will  need  more 
ammunition  than  those  stationed  at  a  garrison.  Also,  be  good  enough  to 
order  us  good  rifle  powder,  as  that  sent  me  before  was  really  bad.  I  should  be 
glad  if  you  would  write  me  by  the  return  of  this  express,  the  situation  of 
matters  relative  to  the  late  incursion  of  the  enemy.  Inclosed  I  have  sent  your 
newspapers,  which  I  forgot  to  return  to  you  at  Catfish." 

1  George  Rogers  Clark  was  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Virginia,  on  the  19th 
of  November,  1752.  He  was  originally  a  land  surveyor.  He  commanded  a 
company  in  Dunmore's  war  of  1774.  The  year  following,  he  went  to  Ken- 
tucky and  took  command  of  the  armed  settlers  there.  In  the  spring  of  1778, 
Major  Clark  was  entrusted  with  the  command  of  an  expsdition  against  the 
Illinois  country,  then  in  possession  of  the  British.  The  enterprise  was  under- 
taken under  the  auspices  of  Virginia,  and  was  entirely  successful.  He  was 
promoted  to  a  colonelcy  by  the  authorities  of  his  native  state,  and  while 
engaged  in  a  pacification  of  the  Indian  tribes  upon  or  near  the  Mississippi,  he 
learned  that  Lieutenant  Governor  Henry  Hamilton,  of  Detroit,  had  captured 
Vincennes,  and  that  further  blows  were  to  be  struck  against  American  posts. 
Anticipating  the  enemy,  Colonel  Clark  marched,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1779, 
with  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  men,  against  Vincennes.  He  had  to  trav- 
erse a  wilderness  and  the  drowned  lands  of  Illinois,  suffering  every  privation 
from  wet,  cold  and  hunger.  Vincennes  surrendered.  Hamilton  was  made 
prisoner  and  sent  to  Virginia.  In  August,  1780,  Clark  led  a  force  against  the 
Shawanese  Indians,  located  upon  the  waters  of  the  Mad  river,  in  what  is  now 
the  state  of  Ohio,  defeating  them  with  considerable  loss.  During  Arnold's 
invasion,  he  took  a  temporary  command  under  Baron  Steuben.  His  next 
enterprise  was  directed  against  Detroit,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  that 
name  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  He  was  now  a  brigadier  general.  This  expe- 
dition proved  a  failure.  (Ante,  pp.  53,  76,  etc.)  In  the  fall  of  1782,  he  made 
a  successful  campaign  from  Kentucky  against  the  Indians  (see,  letters,  p.  401), 
but  upon  a  like  service  in  178G,  was  unsuccessful.  He  died  near  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  February  13,  1818. 

9  At  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

3 Referring  to  General  Irvine's  contemplated  expedition  against  Sandusky. 


Appendix  M.  39s 

information  occasions  me  to  send  this  express  to  know  of  you 
the  time  you  march  and  what  is  your  object.  If  you  will  be 
so  good  as  to  favor  me  with  such  intelligence  it  may  be  much 
to  the  public  interest,  as  it  will  be  in  our  power  to  make  a 
diversion  much  in  favor  of  you  if  nothing  intervenes  to  pre- 
vent us.1 


XXYI. —  Brig.-Gen.  Edward  Stevens2  to  Irvine. 

Virginia,  Culpeper  Court  House,  August  c2o,  1782. 
Sir: —  In  consequence  of  the  information  that  the  execu- 
tive of  this  state  has  received  respecting  the  apprehensions 
that  Fort  Pitt,  in  a  little  time,  will  be  invested  by  an  army  of 
English  and  Indians,  the  governor  has  ordered  a  body  of 
militia  in  the  most  convenient  counties  to  hold  themselves  in 
readiness  to  march  at  the  shortest  notice  (in  case  of  necessity) 
to  the  relief  of  that  place.  And  as  I  am  appointed  to  the 
command  of  these  men,  I  think  it  necessary  that  a  correspond- 
ence should  be  opened  between  the  commanding  officer  there 
and  myself,  as  my  movements  altogether  will  be  governed  by 
the  intelligence  I  may  receive  from  that  quarter. 

1  What  Clark  refers  to  here  is,  a  contemplated  march  against  the  Shawanese 
upon  the  upper  waters  of  the  Great  Miami  river,  in  the  western  part  of  what 
is  now  the  state  of  Ohio.     This  letter  was  received  by  Irvine,  Sept.  2,  1782. 

2  Edward  Stevens  was  born  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  in  1745,  and 
died  at  his  seat  there,  August  17,  1820.  At  the  commencement  of  the  revo- 
lution, he  commanded  with  distinction  a  battalion  of  riflemen  at  the  battle  of 
Great  Bridge,  near  Norfolk,  Virginia.  He  was  soon  after  made  colonel  of  the 
10th  Virginia  regiment,  with  which  he  joined  Washington.  At  the  battle  of 
Brandywine,  September  11,  1777,  by  his  gallant  exertions,  he  saved  a  part  of 
the  army  from  capture,  checked  the  enemy,  and  secured  the  retreat.  He  also 
distinguished  himself  at  Germantown;  and,  being  made  a  brigadier  general 
of  Virginia  militia,  fought  at  Camden,  also  Guilford  Court  House,  where  his 
skilful  dispositions  were  exceedingly  serviceable  to  the  army,  and  where, 
though  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh,  he  brought  off  his  troops  in  good 
order.  General  Greene  bestowed  on  him  marked  commendation.  At  York- 
town,  he  performed  important  duties;  and  all  through  the  war  he  possessed  a 
large  share  of  the  respect  and  confidence  of  Washington.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  state  senate  from  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution  until  1790. 


39Jf.  WasJtington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXVII. —  Irvine  to  Brig. -Gen.  Stevens. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  3,  1782. 

Sir: — I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  25th  ult.  About 
the  middle  of  July,  appearances  were  threatening.1  Ilanna's,  a 
county  town,  was  attacked  and  burned,  and  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants  killed  and  taken.  At  the  same  time,  Wheeling 
was,  in  some  degree,  blockaded;  a  large  body  of  Indians  kept 
skulking  about  it  for  five  or  six  days.  In  short,  they  appeared 
almost  in  every  quarter,  and  the  people  of  the  county  were 
alarmed  beyond  conception.  Since  the  first  of  August,  every 
thing  has  been  perfectly  quiet.  As  I  am  not  apprised  at  pres- 
ent of  the  enemy's  intentions  against  this  place,  except  what 
Governor  Harrison  and  your  letters  contain,  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
know  whether  congress  or  the  secretary  of  war  ground  their 
fears  on  the  alarming  accounts  received  from  here  in  July, 
or  on  intelligence  from  some  other  quarter.  Should  we  be 
threatened  with  danger  or  the  enemy  make  actual  approaches, 
you  shall  have  the  earliest  information  in  my  power;  your 
aid,  in  that  case,  will  be  much  wanted  and  of  course  very 
acceptable. 

I  have  been  meditating  for  some  time  an  excursion  into  the 
Indian  country.  If  effected,  my  troops  will  be  chiefly  volun- 
teer militia  of  the  country,  who  propose,  on  this  occasion,  not 
only  to  equip  and  feed  themselves,  but  also  to  provide  provis- 
ions for  such  continental  troops  as  I  shall  be  able  to  take  from 
this  post.  If  we  succeed,  I  hope  it  will  nearly  put  an  end  to 
the  Indian  war  in  this  quarter.  I  am  made  the  more  sanguine 
in  this  business  by  an  express  last  night  from  General  Clark,2 
in  order  to  concert  measures  for  a  descent  from  his  quarter  at 
the  same  time. 

1  "Every  new  day  produces  events  worse  than  the  past,  besides  a  thousand 
false  and  groundless  reports  attended  with  all  the  evil  consequences  to  the 
defenseless  and  terrified  inhabitants  tlr.it  the  reality  of  them  could  produce; 
our  settl  iraente  are  almost  every  day  contracted  and  every  new  frontier  more 
timid  than  the  last." — Ephraim  Douf/lriss. 

8  See  Clark  to  Irvine,  August  10,  1782,  p.  392. 


Appendix  M.  395 


XXVIII. —  Irvine  to  Captain  Hugh  "Willy.1 

Fort  Pitt,  September  8  [18 ?],2  17S2. 

Sir: — You  will  please  to  take  John  Freeman,  a  negro  (a 
deserter  from  the  enemy),  in  charge,  and  as  his  character  is 
rather  suspicious,  you  will  not  let  him  escape,  at  least  till  you 
get  over  the  mountain.8  lie  says  his  master  lives  in  the  state 
of  New  York;  and,  as  it  will  be  proper  he  should  be  sent  to 
him,  I  mean  to  have  inquiry  made  in  the  course  of  this  winter, 
into  the  truth  of  his  assertion.  In  the  mean  time,  you  may 
keep  him  and  make  him  work  for  his  maintenance  until  you 
receive  further  direction  from  me.  But,  in  case  of  accident  to 
me,  so  that  you  receive  no  instructions  before  the  first  of 
March  next,  you  will,  in  that  case,  please  to  advertise  him  in 
the  public  papers,  in  order  that  his  master  (if  he  has  any)  may 
have  a  fair  chance  of  reclaiming  him. 

P.  S. —  If  the  fellow  should  prove  refractory  or  difficult  to 
be  dealt  with,  you  had  best  send  him  to  Carlisle  jail,  there  to 
be  advertised  or  dealt  with  according  to  law.4 

1  Willy  was  a  captain  of  militia,  doubtless  from  Cumberland  county,  sent 
over  the  mountains  to  Irvine.  (See,  post,  Willy  to  Irvine,  (Xtober  4,  1782.) 
Irvine's  letter  was  probably  directed  to  him  at  Hannastown. 

2  Irvine  in  copying  this  letter  has  made  a  mistake  in  the  date ;  for,  in  his 
communication  to  Lincoln  of  September  12,  1782  (ante,  p.  182),  he  says  that 
the  militia  of  York  and  Cumberland  had  not  arrived.  So,  also,  in  his  letter 
the  day  after,  to  Moore  (p.  256),  he  says:  "I  could  almost  wish  the  militia 
may  not  come  up."    It  probably  was  written  the  18th  of  September. 

3  It  is  probable  that  this  was  the  deserter  mentioned  by  Marshel  in  his  letter 
to  Irvine  of  September  16,  1782  (ante,  p.  815). 

4  "  Pennsylvania  provided  for  the  gradual  abolishment  of  slavery  within  her 
borders  by  the  act  of  March  1,  1780,  the  immortal  preamble  to  which  is  said 
to  have  been  written  by  George  Bryan,  vice  president  of  the  supreme  executive 
council,  member  of  the  legislature,  and  subsequently  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court.  A  section  of  the  act  provided  for  the  registration  on  or  before  Novem- 
ber 1,  1780,  of  all  slaves;  the  registry  to  contain  the  name,  occupation  and 
residence  of  the  owner,  and  the  name,  agu  and  sex  of  the  slave. 

"Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  boundary  controversy  was  still  unsettled,  and 
that  the  people  of  Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties  were  still  subject 
to  and  recognizing  a  divided  jurisdiction,  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  matter 
until,  on  April  13,  1782,  a  special  act  was  passed  upon  the  petition  of  the 
inhabitants  of  those  counties,  one  provision  of  which  extended  the  time  of  the 


396  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXIX. —  Irvine  to  General  Clark. 

Fort  Pitt,  September  9,  1782. 
Sir: — I  received  your  favor  of  the  10th  of  August,  eight 
days  ago.  My  reason  for  detaining  your  express  so  long  was, 
if  possible,  to  inform  you  positively  what  you  might  depend 
on  from  us; — as  the  passage  may  be  precarious,  I  must  refer 
you  for  full  information  to  Messrs.  Sullivan  and  Floyd.  Being 
informed  by  Major  Craig  that  you  are  scarce  of  three-pound 
shot,  I  have  sent  you  fifty.  And  you  will  also  receive  the 
latest  newspapers  for  your  amusement. 


XXX. —  Robert  Magaw  x  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  September  10,  1782. 
Dear  fiir: — Though  I  have  but  a  few  minutes  to  write,  I 
could  not  miss  the  opportunity  by  Mr.  Parkison  to  inform 
you  briefly  of  our  proceedings  which  I  know  will  give  you 
pleasure.  The  house  on  reading  some  memorials  from  your 
quarter  and  Northumberland  stating  the  distressed  state  of  the 
frontiers  took  the  same  under  consideration  and  appointed  me, 
with  General  Potter2  deputed  by  council,  to  wait  on  his  excel- 
lency, General  Washington.  We  found  him  at  Yerplank's 
Point,  at  which  place  he  had  arrived  the  day  before  with  the 
army  from  West  Point.  They  are  composed  of  the  Jersey, 
New  York,  Rhode    Island,  Connecticut,  and    Massachusetts 

registration  of  slaves  to  January  1,  1783.  I  have  before  me  the  original  of 
the  registry  of  slaves  of  Washington  county, — a  venerable  looking  document. 
It  is  headed,  'Washington  County:  List  of  Negroes  Registered  Pursuant  to 
the  Late  Act  of  Assembly  for  Redress  of  Certain  Grievances  in  the  Counties  of 
Westmoreland  and  Washington.1  " — Boyd  Crumrine,  in  The  Washington 
(Pa.)  Observer,  August  11,  1881. 

1  Magaw,  of  Carlisle,  was  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  assembly  from 
Cumberland  county.  He  was  commissioned  major,  June  25,  1775,  promoted 
to  colonel  of  the  fifth  Pennsylvania  regiment,  January  3,  1776;  taken  pris- 
oner November  16,  following;  was  exchanged  October  25th,  1780.  He  died 
at  Carlisle,  January  7,  1790. 

2  James  Potter  was  vice  president  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of 
Pennsylvania,  having  been  elected  to  that  office  November  14,  1781. 


Appendix  M.  397 

lines.  I  dare  say  no  troops  were  ever  in  better  clothing  or  in 
higher  discipline.  His  excellency  readily  agreed  to  spare  the 
recruits  of  this  state  and  Hazen's  regiment  now  at  Lancaster, 
in  concert  with  volunteers  and  militia,  to  form  two  expeditions 
into  the  Indian  country;  the  one  to  consist  of  twelve  hundred 
men  under  your  command  against  the  Delaware  and  Wyandot 
towns;  the  other  under  Colonel  Richard  Butler  or  General 
Hazen  against  some  of  the  Genesee  towns  on  Susquehanna 
waters. 

I  begin  to  fear  as  many  regular  troops  will  not  be  sent  you 
as  I  could  wish.  It  is  talked  by  the  minister  at  war  to  send 
you  Ilazen's  regiment,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred  men. 
They  are  the  best  disciplined  troops,  but  those  of  Pennsyl- 
vania would  I  think  be  more  agreeable  to  you  and  more  num- 
erous; but  the  internal  strength  and  ardor  of  your  country  is 
much  counted  on.  However,  this  matter  will  not  be  finally 
settled  before  Monday.  His  excellency,  General  Washington, 
has  given  no  direction  in  the  matter,  but  informed  us  that  the 
two  New  Hampshire  regiments  were  at  Saratoga  and  German 
Flats;  and,  in  case  he  was  not  obliged  to  call  them  to  his  assist- 
ance, they  should  be  employed  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
enemy  as  much  as  possible  to  that  quarter. 

There  is  no  money  in  the  treasury  and  none  with  the  army; 
and  we  have  appropriated  last  winter  all  our  resources  to  the 
requisitions  of  congress;  and  have  not  a  shilling  now  in  our 
power  but  five  thousand  pounds  we  have  borrowed  of  the  bank 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  the  extra  expenses  of  those  expeditions, 
for  which  the  financier  will  give  us  credit,  though  he  can  give 
us  no  assistance  in  money,  being  from  hand  to  mouth  in  sup- 
plying provisions,  taxes  come  in  so  slowly. 

Excuse  this  hasty  scrawl  and  expect  to  hear  from  me  more 
fully  in  a  few  days. 

XXXI. —  Ebenezer  Zane  to  Irvine. 

Wheeling,  September  17,  1782. 
Sir:—  On  the  evening  of  the  11th  instant,  a  body  of  the 
enemy  appeared  in  sight  of  our  garrison.     They  immediately 


39S  WasJiington-Trvine  Correspondence. 

formed  their  lines  round  the  garrison,  paraded  British  colors, 
and  demanded  the  fort  to  be  surrendered,  which  was  refused. 
About  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  they  rushed  hard  on  the  pickets 
in  order  to  storm,  but  were  repulsed.  They  made  two  other 
attempts  to  storm  before  day,  but  to  no  purpose. 

About  8  o'clock  next  morning,  there  came  a  negro  from  them 
to  us  and  informed  us  that  their  force  consisted  of  a  British 
captain  and  forty  regular  soldiers  and  two  hundred  and  sixty 
Indians.  The  enemy  kept  a  continual  fire  the  whole  clay. 
About  ten  o'clock  at  night,  they  made  a  fourth  attempt  to 
storm  to  no  better  purpose  than  the  former.  The  enemy  con- 
tinued around  the  garrison  until  the  morning  of  the  13th  in- 
stant, when  they  disappeared.  Our  loss  is  none.  Daniel 
Sullivan,  who  arrived  here  in  the  first  of  the  action,  is  wounded 
in  the  foot. 

I  believe  they  have  driven  the  greatest  part  of  our  stock 
away,  and  might,  I  think,  be  soon  overtaken. 


XXXII. —  Irvine  to  General  Clark. 

Fort  Pitt,  October  3,  17S2. 
Sir: —  Since  I  dispatched  Mr.  Floyd,  sundry  obstacles  have 
intervened  to  prevent  my  moving  at  the  time  proposed.  I 
have  therefore  thought  proper  to  send  this  express  as  well  to 
inform  you  of  the  causes  of  my  detention  that  you  may  know 
what  to  depend  on,  as  of  my  present  expectations  and  views. 
If  he  cannot  arrive  at  the  Falls  [Louisville]  in  time,  I  flatter 
myself  he  will  meet  you  and  perhaps  at  such  a  place  as  it  may 
be  no  great  inconvenience  for  you  to  halt  a  few  days,  in  case 
that  step  should  appear  expedient  on  his  account  of  my  inten- 
tions. I  cannot  be  more  explicit  for  reasons  I  mentioned  in 
my  former  letter,  and  must  refer  you  to  the  bearer  or  his 
companions—  Mr.  Tate  and  James  Amberson.  You  may  credit 
what  they  inform  you  for  me.  I  have  promised  them  you  will 
give  them  provision  while  they  remain  and  assist  them  to  re- 
turn if  necessary. 


Appendix  M.  309 


I  presume  much  will  depend  on  keeping  good  time;— I 
mean  that  one  should  not  be  lon^  before  the  other.1 


XXXIII. —  Captain  Willy  to  Irvine. 

II  annastown,  October  4,  1782. 

St7\' — I  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  letter  of  the  21st  alt., 
and  acknowledge  your  goodness  in  supplying  us  with  the  am- 
munition which  I  wrote  for.  The  kettles  were  not  brought, 
which  I  believe  must  have  been  the  neglect  of  the  express. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  make  any  provision  for  an  expedi- 
tion, as  the  men  have  no  money  with  them,  and  indeed  if  they 
had  it  would  be  a  hard  matter  to  procure  leather  for  moccasins. 
The  men  are  also  exceedingly  ill  prepared  with  clothing  for 
cold  weather,  which  must  soon  be  expected. 

Our  county  lieutenant2  informed  me  that  our  business  would 
be  scouting  on  the  frontier,  which  was  the  means  of  our  coming 
out  in  the  most  light  order  that  the  season  would  admit  of. 
We  have  been  reasonably  well  supplied  with  provisions  since 
a  few  days  after  our  arrival  here;  and  I  keep  out  a  scout  of 
between  twenty  and  thirty  men  on  the  frontier.  I  labor  under 
some  difficulties  which  I  would  take  it  as  a  singular  favor  if 
the  general  would  indulge  me  with  his  opinion  of.  There  was 
a  packhorseman  sent  with  us  to  carry  our  little  baggage  to 
this  post  and  my  orders  were  to  discharge  him  when  I  arrived 
here;  but  when  I  found  the  difficulty  of  getting  flour  and  that 
grain  could  be  got  ground  by  carrying  about  forty  miles  and 
no  horses  could  be  employed  here,  I  ventured  to  detain  him 
awhile;  and  from  your  verbal  orders  to  me  I  have  kept  him 
yet.  The  contractors  refuse  paying  him  for  any  time  but 
when  he  is  actually  carrying  for  them,  and  the  man  cannot 
afford  to  stay  here  on  expense  without  being  made  sure  of 
some  compensation. 

!That  is,  that  Clark's  expedition  against  the  Shawanese  should  strike  that 
tribe  at  the  same  time  that  Irvine  should  reach  the  Wyandots,  upon  the 
Sandusky. 

2  The  writer  probably  means  the  lieutenant  of  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. 


♦ 


4-00  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

There  is  also  a  certain  John  Yance  of  the  York  county 
militia  who  was  drafted  at  the  same  time  with  those  who  came 
up  lately.  He  joined  me  at  our  rendezvous,  marched  with  me, 
and  has  done  his  duty  very  well,  and  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know 
whether  I  should  return  him  to  his  captain,  as  he  may  refuse 
perhaps  to  return  him  on  his  pay  roll,  because  he  was  not  all 
his  time  under  his  command. 

I  enclose  you  a  return  of  a  lieutenant  and  a  few  men  who 
came  up  since  as  will  appear.  I  have  nothing  of  importance 
to  communicate.  Our  scouts  have  made  no  discoveries ;  and 
they  are  of  opinion  the  coasts  are  pretty  clear  of  the  enemy. 


XXXIY. —  Irvine  to  General  Clark. 

Fort  Pitt,  November  7,  1782. 

Sir: — I  appointed  [a  day]1  for  the  general  rendezvous  of 
the  militia  at  Fort  Mcintosh,  and  should  have  been  able  to 
have  taken  up  my  line  of  march  on  the  20th  following.  The 
day  previous  to  this,  a  report  of  a  cessation  of  arms  spread, 
seemingly  deserving  credit,  as  I  received  intelligence  that  the 
march  of  the  continental  troops  from  below  was  countermanded. 
This  news  gained  universal  belief  with  the  country  and  I  fear 
would  have  mutilated  my  plan  if  the  report  had  proved  pre- 
mature. But,  at  the  time  I  proposed  to  march,  I  received 
letters  from  the  continental  secretary  at  war  countermanding 
the  expedition,  as  General  Washington  had  been  assured  by 
the  British  general  that  all  the  savages  were  called  in  from 
the  frontiers,  and  were  not  to  commit  any  farther  depredations 
upon  the  inhabitants. 

I  was  exceedingly  uneasy  when  I  considered  it  was  then 
impossible  to  communicate  to  you  the  intelligence  before  you 
marched.  A  report  of  the  defeat  of  a  large  number  of  the 
inhabitants  in  Kentucky2  was  circulating  at  the  same  time 
and  persuaded  me  almost  that  it  would  oblige  you  to  drop  your 

1  The  day  mentioned  is  illegible. 

5  The  defeat  here  referred  to  was  suffered  at  the  battle  of  the  Blue  Licks,  in 
the  month  of  August  previous. 


Appendix  2£.  Jfil 

design.  Yet,  in  case  this  should  either  be  false,  or  not  inca- 
pacitate yon  from  proceeding  against  the  Shawanese,  I  deter- 
mined to  draw  the  attention  of  theWyandots  by  sending  them 
information  that  I  was  prepared  to  attack  Sandusky  with  a 
numerous  force, —  the  only  stratagem  left  me  to  make  use  of 
in  your  favor. 


XXXY. —  General  Clark  to  Irvine. 

Miami,  November  13,  1782. 
Sir: — I  fell  in  with  your  late  express J  on  the  2d  inst.  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Licking  creek.2  I  was  happy  to  find  that  our 
design  was  likely  to  be  well-timed.  We  marched  on  the  3d. 
The  10th,  surprised  the  principal  Shawanese  town,  Chillicothe;8 
but  not  so  completely  as  wished  for,  as  most  of  the  inhabit- 
ants had  time  to  escape.  We  got  a  few  scalps  and  prisoners. 
I  immediately  dispatched  strong  parties  to  the  neighboring 
towns.  In  a  short  time,  laid  all  of  them  in  ashes,  with  all 
their  riches.  The  British  trading  post4  at  the  carrying-place, 
shared  the  same  fate.5     I  can  not  find,  from  the  prisoners,  that 

1  Referring  to  the  one  which  left  Fort  Pitt,  October  3d. 

2  Opposite  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

3  Now  Piqua,  Miami  county,  Ohio. 

4  Known,  at  that  time,  as  Lorainie's  store,  at  or  near  the  present  Loramies, 
Shelby  county,  Ohio. 

6  The  official  report  of  Clark  of  his  invasion  of  the  Shawanese  country  was 
as  follows : 

"Lincoln  [County,  Ky.],  Nov.  27th,  1782. 

"Sir: —  I  embrace  the  earliest  opportunity  by  Capt.  Morrison,  of  acquainting 
you  with  our  return  from  the  Indian  country.  We  left  the  Ohio  on  the  4th 
inst.  with  one  thousand  and  fifty  men,  and  surprised  the  principal  Shawnee 
[Shawanese]  town  [now  Piqua,  Miami  county.  Ohio]  on  the  evening  of  the 
10th  inst.  Immediately  detaching  strong  parties  to  different  quarters,  in  a 
few  hours  two-thirds  of  the  town  was  laid  in  ashes  and  everything  they  [the 
Shawanese]  were  possessed  of  destroyed,  except  such  articles  as  might  be  use- 
ful to  the  troops;  the  enemy  had  no  time  to  secrete  any  part  of  their  property 
which  was  in  the  town.  The  British  trading  post  [Loramie's  store]  at  the  head 
of  the  Miami,  and  carrying-place  [portage]  to  the  waters  of  the  lake  [Erie], 
shared  the  same  fate,  at  the  hands  of  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  horse 
commanded  by  Col.  Ben  Logan.  The  property  destroyed  was  of  great  amount, 
26 


Wash  ington— Irvine  Correspondence. 


they  bad  any  idea  of  your  second  design;  and  I  hope  you  will 
completely  surprise  the  Sanduskians.  I  beg  leave  to  refer  you 
to  Mr.  Tate  and  his  companions  for  further  particulars,  for 
reasons  well  known  to  you. 


XXXVI. —  Christopher  IIays1  to  Irvine. 

Near  Cross  Creek,  November  19,  1782. 
Dear  Sir: — We  have  proceeded  this  length  in  running  the 
north  line  of  Pennsylvania  2  and  have  enjoyed  a  peaceable  pro- 

and  the  quantity  of  provisions  burned  surpassed  all  idea  we  had  of  the  Indian 
stores. 

"  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  ten  scalps,  seven  prisoners,  and  two  whites  re- 
taken; ours  was  one  killed  and  one  wounded.  After  lying  part  of  four  days 
in  their  towns,  and  finding'  all  attempts  to  bring  the  enemy  to  a  general  action 
fruitless,  we  retired,  as  the  season  was  far  advanced  and  the  weather  threat- 
ening. I  could  not  learn  from  the  prisoners  that  they  had  the  least  idea  of 
Gen.  Irwin's  [Irvine's]  penetrating  into  their  country ;  should  he  have  given 
them  another  stroke  at  Sandusky,  it  will  have  more  than  doubled  the  advan- 
tage already  gained.  We  might  probably  have  got  many  more  scalps  and 
prisoners,  could  we  have  known  in  time  whether  we  were  discovered  or  not. 
We  took  for  granted  we  were  not,  until  getting  within  three  miles,  some  cir- 
cumstances happened  which  caused  me  to  think  otherwise.  Col.  John  Floyd 
was  then  ordered  to  advance  with  three  hundred  men  to  bring  on  an  action  or 
attack  the  town,  while  Major  Walls  with  a  party  of  horse  had  previously 
been  detached  by  a  different  route,  as  a  party  of  observation.  Although  Col. 
Floyd's  motions  were  so  quick  as  to  get  to  the  town  but  a  few  minutes  later 
than  those  who  discovered  his  approach,  the  inhabitants  had  sufficient  notice 
to  effect  their  escape  to  the  woods,  by  the  alarm  cry  which  was  given  on  the 
first  discovery.  This  was  heard  at  a  very  great  distance,  and  repeated  by  all 
that  heard  it.  Consequently  our  parties  only  fell  in  with  the  rear  of  the 
enemy. 

"  I  must  beg  leave  to  recommend  to  your  excellency  the  militia  of  Kentucky, 
whose  behavior  on  the  occasion  does  them  honor,  and  particularly  their  desire 
to  save  prisoners.     Subscribed,  G.  R.  Clark. 

"[To  Gov.  Benj.  Harrison, of  Virginia.]" 

1  Hays  was  employed  by  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  to  assist  in  running  the 
temporary  boundary  line  between  that  state  and  Virginia  from  the  end  of 
Mason  &  Dixon's  line  to  the  Ohio  river.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  West- 
moreland —  a  member  of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  the  state,  and 
judge  of  his  county,  he  having  been  commissioned  July  24th,  of  that  year. 

2  That  is,  the  boundary  line  on  the  west  side  of  Pennsylvania,  south  of  the 
Ohio. river.     Hays  speaks  of  it  as  a  "north  line,"  because  a  meridian  line 


Appendix  M.  !fi3 

gress  hitherto,  and  expect  to  strike  the  Ohio  river  about  Thurs- 
day next  between  Fort  Mcintosh  and  Raredon's  Bottom. 

Sir,  I  am  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  troubling  your  honor 
to  send  me  by  the  bearer  one  keg  of  whisky,  two  pounds  pow- 
der, and  four  pounds  lead,  and  your  compliance  will  much 
oblige  [me].1 

P.  S. —  I  will  replace  the  whisky  with  all  convenient  speed. 
Please  to  bring  it  in  your  own  boat  if  you  come  to  meet  us.2 

was  being  run  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  state  to  the  Ohio  river;  the 
twenty-three  miles  to  that  corner  from  the  point  east  where  it  had  been  pre- 
viously stopped,  having  been  completed.  This  was  the  finishing  of  the  tem- 
porary boundary  line  which  Alexander  McClean  endeavored  to  commence  the 
running  of  on  the  previous  10th  of  June,  but  was  stopped  by  a  number  of 
horsemen  —  "Virginians,  as  they  called  themselves  " — but  which  was  after- 
ward resumed.    (See  pp.  248,  268,  294-296,  326,  327.) 

The  question  of  the  boundary  line  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  was 
settled  by  commissioners  of  those  states  at  Baltimore,  in  August,  1779;  but, 
as  we  have  seen,  the  line  remained  unrun.  This  fact,  as  already  frequently 
indicated,  was  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the  western  department. 
As  an  expedient  to  "quiet  the  minds  of  the  people  and  compel  militia  ser- 
vice," until  a  permanent  lire  could  be  run  based  upon  astronomical  observa- 
tions, the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  addressed  the  executive  of  Virginia  May 
14, 1781 :  "  For  the  sake  of  settling  the  minds  of  the  people  and  preventing 
disputes  among  the  borderers,  [we  suggest]  to  have  a  temporary  line  run  by 
common  surveyors  from  the  termination  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  to  the 
Ohio;  or,  if  that  should  not  be  agreeable,  to  extend  it  twenty-three  miles  from 
the  end  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  that  being  the  extent  of  five  degrees  ac- 
cording to  common  computation.  In  this  case,  we  only  propose  to  mark  the 
trees,  avoiding  as  much  as  possible  unnecessary  expense.  We  hope  this  last 
proposition,  in  which  we  have  no  other  intentions  than  to  quiet  the  minds  of 
the  people  and  compel  militia  service,  will  be  acceptable  to  your  excellency,  as 
the  best  and  indeed  the  only  expedient  which  can  now  be  adopted." 

The  first  attempt  to  run  this  temporary  line  and  its  results  have  already 
been  spoken  of  on  previous  pages.  The  next  attempt  (and  the  successful  one) 
was  commenced  November  4,  1782,  by  McClean  and  Neville,  and  carried  for- 
ward as  indicated  in  Hays'  letter.  Of  course,  Virginia  had  no  interest  in  the 
western  boundary  of  Pennsylvania  north  of  the  Ohio. 

1  It  will  be  noticed  that  whisky  is  the  article  first  mentioned;  more  to  be  de- 
sired than  powder  and  lead,  notwithstanding  the  Indians  were  still  hostile! 

2  The  following  from  McClean  to  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  dated  March 
13,  1783,  refers  to  the  finishing  up  of  the  temporary  line: 

"  Sir: —  Enclosed  is  an  account  of  expenses,  in  addition  to  the  bill  I  laid  be- 
fore you.     I  take  the  liberty  to  inform  you  that  I  was  under  the  necessity  of 


IfiJf.  WasJtingtoii-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XXXVII. —  Henky  Taylor  *  to  Irvine. 

Washington  County,  November  20,  1872. 
Sir: — There  is  a  certain  Grail,  a  soldier  now  belonging  to 
the  troops  at  Pittsburgh,  who  was  attached  some  time  ago  for 
forgery.  At  the  time  he  was  before  the  court,  the  grand  jury 
was  discharged,  therefore  no  bill  of  indictment  was  prepared. 
The  state  attorney  and  the  court  thought  it  most  prudent  to 
order  him  to  the  service  as  it  was  the  safest  place  to  secure 
him  and  the  public  requiring  his  service,  no  jail  being  yet  in 

defraying  or  assuming  the  expense  herein  set  forth,  to  prevent  the  business 
being  entirely  frustrated;  as  the  militia  expected  irom  this  state  could  not  be 
drawn  out  in  time  to  answer  the  purpose ;  and  the  Virginia  troops  being  on 
the  spot,  we  concluded  to  proceed  with  the  guard  we  were  then  possessed  of; 
and  as  Colonel  Hays  could  not  possibly  overtake  us,  I  kept  the  troops  from 
Virginia  until  their  provisions  were  expended  and  then  discharged  all  that  I 
could  spare,  giving  them  an  order  to  draw  provisions  at  Beeson's  Town  [now 
Uniontown,  Fayette  county,  Penn.]  for  their  return  home." 

For  the  history  of  "Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,"  with  accounts  of  running 
the  permanent  line  west  of  Dunkard  and  north  to  the  Ohio  river,  see  "A 
Memoir,"  etc.,  by  James  Dunlop,  in  "Mem.  of  the  Hist.  Soc.  of  Penn.,"  Vol. 
I  (1826);  Craig's  "Olden  Time,"  Vol.  I  (1846);  U.  S.  Senate  (Ex.)  Doc, 
No.  21,  30  Cong.  (1848);  Col.  J.  D.  Graham's  Report,  Penn.  Senate  Jour., 
Vol.  II  (1850);  "Hist,  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,"  by  J.  H.  B.  Latrobe 
(1855);  "  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,"  by  James  Veech  (1857).  Consult,  also, 
in  this  connection,  the  Penn.  Archives  and  Col.  Records  and  the  Calendar  of 
Virginia  State  Papers. 

1  President  judge  of  Washington  county.  He  was  from  Cecil  county,  Mary- 
land, from  which  place  he  emigrated  in  1771,  to  a  place  near  what  is  now 
Washington,  in  Washington  county.  Before  the  organization  of  that  county, 
Taylor  was  an  adherent  of  the  Virginia  side  of  the  boundary  controversy. 
He  was  a  major  of  militia  and  a  justice  of  the  courts  of  Yohogania  county, 
under  the  authority  of  that  province.  He  subsequently  tilled  several  impor- 
tant civil  and  military  positions  in  Washington  county.  He  died  October  8, 
1801,  aged  sixty-three  years.  (See  "The  Washington  County  Centennial," — 
Address  by  Boyd  Crumrine,  p.  42.) 

"I  have  before  me  a  duplicate  of  the  [land]  wan-ant  to  Henry  Taylor,  the 
first  justice  who  presided  in  the  courts  of  Washington  county  [Pa.],  .  .  . 
which  warrant  was  signed  by  John  Penn,  and  is  dated  February  1,  1771,  for 
150  acres  on  the  Middle  Fork  of  Chartiers  creek,  and  on  the  path  leading 
from  Catfish  Camp  [now  Washington,  county-seat  of  Washington  county] 
to  Pittsburgh." — Boyd  Crumrine,  in  The  Washington  (Pa.)  Observer,  Aug. 
11th,  1881. 


Appendix  M.  J,.05 


the  county  to  secure  him  and  it  was  not  known  at  the  time 
when  we  should  have  an  opportunity  of  having  him  tried. 

There  is  a  court  of  oyer  and  terminer  and  general  jail  de- 
livery to  be  held  for  this  county  the  25th  instant  at  Catfish 
Camp  [Washington,  the  present  county-seat  of  the  county]. 
The  judges  have  required  me  to  give  you  the  above  informa- 
tion, not  doubting  your  ready  compliance  in  delivering  him 
up  for  trial.  In  compliance  on  my  part  of  the  request  I  send 
this  with  an  officer,  who  will  deliver  it,  and  has  an  order  for 
receiving  him  if  you  will  please  to  order  him  in  his  custody.1 

I  have  not  heard  all  the  testimony  that  will  be  against  Crail, 
but  from  the  information  I  have  got  I  am  of  opinion  there 
will  be  no  danger  of  losing  a  soldier.     .     .     . 


XXXVIII. —  Christopher  Hays  and  Edward  Cook  to 

Irvine. 

Washington  County,  December  25,  1782. 
Sir: — Mr.  Crail2  we  return  to  you  again,  as  no  evidence 
appeared  against  him.  There  is  a  certain  William  Hanks 
convicted  of  a  rape  upon  a  child  and  under  sentence  of  death. 
There  is  no  place  in  this  county  to  secure  him  in  until  his 
death  warrant  arrives.  It  is  therefore  requested  that  the  gen- 
eral will  do  the  county  the  favor  of  securing  him.  The  sher- 
iff will  throw  in  such  supplies  as  may  be  necessary  for  his 
support.3 

1  The  request  made  to  Irvine  was  complied  with.     (See  next  letter.) 

2  See  letter  from  Taylor  to  Irvine  next  preceding. 

3  This  letter  was  signed  by  both  Hays  and  Cook,  who,  though  judges  of 
Westmoreland,  were  also  members,  at  that  time,  of  the  Washington  county 
court,  under  a  special  commission,  as  the  following  shows: 

"  In  Council,  Philadelphia,  July  25th,  1782. 
"  Ordered,  that  a  special  commission  of  oyer  and  terminer  and  general  jail 
delivery,  directed  to  the  Honorable  Christopher  Hays  and  Dorsey  Pentecost, 
Esquires,  and  Edward  Cook,  Esquire,  be  now  issued  to  the  counties  of  West- 
moreland and  Washington,  for  the  trial  of  divers  persons  now  confined  in  the 
jails  of  the  said  counties  charged  with  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors." 


406  Washington-] rvlne  Correspondence. 


XXXIX. —  Irvine  to  Major  Isaac  Craig.1 

Carlisle,  Ajwil  1,  1783. 
Dear  Major: — As  Mr.  Rose  2  will  carry  you  all  the  partic- 
ulars of  peace,  etc.,  the  present  is  only  to  congratulate  you  on 

1  Isaac  Craig  was  bom  at  Bally  keel  Artifinny,  County  Down,  Ireland,  of 
Presbyterian  parents,  about  the  year  1742,  emigrating  to  America  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1765  or  beginning  of  1766,  and  settled  in  Philadelphia,  working 
as  a  journeyman  house  carpenter,  which  trade  he  had  previously  learned, 
becoming  finally  a  master  builder  and  laboring  with  success  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  revolution.  In  November,  1775,  he  received  an  appointment 
as  the  oldest  lieutenant  of  marines  in  the  navy,  and,  in  that  capacity,  served 
ten  months,  being  promoted,  after  some  active  service,  to  a  captaincy  of 
marines.  Having  joined  the  army  with  his  company  as  infantry,  he  was 
present  at  the  crossing  of  the  Delaware,  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  at  Tren- 
ton, and  at  the  battle  of  Princeton.  On  the  3d  of  March,  1777,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  captain  of  artillery  in  the  regiment  of  Pennsylvania  troops  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  Procter,  in  which  regiment  he  continued  to 
serve  until  it  was  disbanded  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  engaged  with 
his  company  in  the  battles  of  Brandy  wine  and  German  town. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1778,  Captain  Craig  was  ordered  to  Carlisle  to  learn 
practically  the  art  of  the  military  laboratory.  Here  he  remained  until  August, 
1778.  On  the  29th  of  March,  1779,  he  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the 
fort  at  Billingsport  on  the  Delaware,  below  Philadelphia,  being  relieved  May 
2d  following.  He  was  ordered  with  his  regiment  to  Easton,  May  20,  1779, 
and  marched  with  Sullivan  in  his  expedition  against  the  Six  Nations,  return- 
ing to  Easton  October  18,  following.  In  January,  1780,  he  was  with  the 
army  at  Morristown,  New  Jersey.  On  the  20th  of  April,  he  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Pitt  with  artillery  and  military  stores,  reaching  that  post  on  the  25th  of 
June.  He  continued  in  command  of  the  artillery  there  until  the  29th  of  July, 
1781,  when  he  left  with  his  detachment  for  the  Falls  (Louisville)  in  aid  of 
Clark,  as  before  narrated;  getting  back  to  Fort  Pitt  on  the  26th  of  November. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1782,  Captain  Craig  was  promoted  to  be  major,  his 
commission  bearing  date  March  13,  1782,  to  rank  from  October  7,  1781.  His 
duties  at  Fort  Pitt  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  General  Irvine  have 
already  been  indicated  in  previous  pages.  Major  Craig  continued  at  that  post 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  became  a  citizen  of  Pittsburgh. 

In  February,  1785,  Major  Craig  married  Amelia  Neville,  the  only  daughter 
of  Colonel  John  Neville.  In  February,  1791,  he  was  made  deputy  quarter- 
master and  military  store-keeper  at  Pittsburgh.  He  soon  after  superintended 
the  construction,  at  the  same  place,  of  Fort  Fayette;  also  of  smaller  works  at 
La  Bfjeuf,  Presq'  Isle  and  Wheeling.     He  died  May  14,  1826. 

2  This  letter  was  taken  by  Lieutenant  John  Rose,  Irvine's  aid,  to  Major 
Craig,  at  Fort  Pitt. 


Appendix  M.  Jfi7 


the  glorious  end  to  the  war.  It  has  been  with  hard  work  and 
much  assiduity,  in  Mr.  Rose,  that  subsistence  and  pay  have 
been  obtained  for  the  post.  But  after  all,  you  will  find  the 
post  has  been,  on  the  whole,  better  supplied  than  any  other 
part  of  the  army.  Not  a  rag  has  the  main  army  got  this 
winter.  A  late  commotion  of  the  officers  at  headquarters  has 
occasioned  some  attention  from  congress. 

It  is  said  the  army  will  be  settled  with  before  they  are  dis- 
banded. I  will  wait  here  some  time  and  watch  every  motion. 
Everybody  must  remain  in  statu  quo  for  some  time.  A  peace 
establishment  is  talked  of.  What  do  you  think  of  that?  Do 
let  ine  know  your  inclination  soon. 


XL. —  Ephraim  Blaine  *  to  Irvine. 

Philadelphia,  April  2,  1783. 
Dear  Sir: —  I  expected  being  at  Carlisle  the  first  of  this 
month,  but  my  public  accounts  will  prevent  my  getting  away 
before  the  15th.     I  should  wish  to  see  you  before  your  de- 

1  Ephraim  Blaine,  the  son  of  James  Blaine,  an  early  Scotch-Irish  settler  on 
the  Conodoguinet,  was  born  near  Carlisle,  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  2Gth  of  May,  1741.  His  father  being  a  man  of  means,  the  son  re- 
ceived a  classical  education,  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Allison.  The 
breaking  out,  however,  of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  brought  Ephraim  away 
from  his  books  to  the  duties  of  a  soldier  on  the  frontiers.  During  the  Bouquet 
expedition  of  1764,  he  was  commissary-sergeant  of  the  second  provincial  reg- 
iment. At  the  outset  of  the  war  for  independence,  he  assisted  in  raising  a 
battalion  of  associators,  and  as  an  officer  of  these  "  minute  men"  of  the  rev- 
olution he  continued  until  his  appointment  as  county  lieutenant  of  Cumber- 
land county,  April  5,  1777,  a  position,  however,  he  resigned  in  August 
following,  when  he  entered  the  commissary  department  of  the  continental 
line.  He  was  commissioned  commissary  general  of  purchases,  February  19, 
177S,  a  position  he  held  over  three  years,  including  one  of  the  most  trying 
periods  of  the  war  —  the  cantonment  at  Valley  Forge.  On  the  7th  of  July, 
1780,  he  accepted  the  position  of  issuing  commissary  for  his  county.  Owing 
to  his  personal  sacrifices  during  the  war,  Col.  Blaine's  estate  became  impaired, 
although  his  fortune  remained  ample.  He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Gen.  Washington,  and  it  was  at  his  house  the  first  president  remained  during 
his  week's  stay  at  Carlisle  when  on  the  so-called  "  Whisky  Insurrection"  of 
1794.  Col.  Blaine  died  at  his  seat  near  Carlisle,  February  1(5,  1804,  in  the 
sixty- third  year  of  his  age.     He  was  twice  married:  first,  to  Rebecca  Gal- 


JfiS  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

partnre  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  hope  the  IStli  will  answer  that  pur- 
pose. If  I  can  get  my  cash  accounts  settled  with  the  public, 
I  shall  certainly  go  to  Pittsburgh  an  July,  in  order  to  settle 
some  disputes  which  I  have  about  lands  in  that  neighborhood. 
Mr.  Wilson  has  settled  his  acconnts  of  two  months'  issues, 
and  Mr.  Morris  gave  him  part  payment  in  his  own  notes, 
which  he  refused  taking  until  he  assured  him  he  had  written 
you  to  lift  them.  You  will  greatly  oblige  me  by  doing  it,  as 
Mr.  "Wilson  will  be  necessitated  for  money  and  would  not  have 
taken  them  upon  any  other  principle.1 


XLI. —  Lieut.-Col.  Stephen  Bayard2  to  Irvine.3 

Fort  Pitt.  April  5,  1783. 
Dear  General: — About  ten  days  ago  1  received  an  express 
from  "Waltour's  giving  me  an  account  of  the  Indians  killing 

braith;  secondly,  to  Mrs.  Duncan,  whose  husband  had  fallen  in  a  duel.  There 
were  two  sons,  both  by  his  first  wife  —  James  and  Robert.  James  Blaine 
went  abroad  in  1791  as  a  merchant,  and  became  an  attache  to  the  American 
legation  in  Paris,  but  returned  as  bearer  of  dispatches  connected  with  Jay's 
treaty.  At  that  periorl,  he  was  considered  the  most  accomplished  gentleman 
in  Philadelphia.  He  died  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  whither  he 
had  removed  after  his  father's  death.  His  son  Ephraim  was  the  father  of 
James  G.  Blaine,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county,  removed  to  Maine, 
and  was  lately  the  distinguished  senator  from  that  state.  Ephraim  Blaine's 
other  son,  Robert,  married  Anna  S.  Metzgar  and  left  issue. 

1  Directed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle. 

9  In  command  at  Fort  Pitt  during  General  Irvine's  absence.  (Ante,  p.  141, 
note.)  Stephen  Bayard  was  born  in  Maryland,  in  1748.  He  belonged  to  a 
Huguenot  family  from  Languedoc.  He  was  brought  up  by  his  uncle,  John 
Bayard,  of  Philadelphia.  He  settled  after  the  revolution  in  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  was  in  partnership  with  Isaac  Cyiig.  After  retiring  from  business,  he 
made  his  home  on  his  lands  on  the  Monongahela,  fourteen  miles  above  Pitts- 
burgh. There  he  laid  out  a  town  which  he  named  Elizabeth,  after  his  wife. 
He  built  there  the  first  vessel  launched  upon  the  waters  of  the  Monongahela. 
He  died  at  Pittsburgh,  December  13,  1815.  He  was  captain  in  the  third 
Pennsylvania  regiment,  ranking  from  January  5,  1776;  promoted  major  of 
the  eighth,  March  12,  1777;  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  September  23,  suno 
year;  transferred  to  tin-  sixth,  January,  1781;  to  the  first,  January  1,  1783. 

3 This  Letter  was  directed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle,  the  general  reaching  there, 
it  will  be  remembered,  on  the  4th  of  March  previous. 


Appendix  M.  JfiO 

James  Davis  [and]  his  son,  and  taking  two  prisoners  about  half 
a  mile  from  that  fort.  The  31st  of  March,  Mr.  Zaue  x  writes  by 
express  that  one  man  was  found  killed  and  scalped  and  another 
taken  prisoner  at  Wheat's  Narrows  on  Wheeling  creek.  An 
express  came  to  me  last  night  from  Col.  Shepherd2  giving  an 
account  of  six  persons  being  killed,  six  wounded  and  five  made 
prisoners  within  seven  miles  of  Catfish.3  This  moment  I  was 
informed  by  a  man  from  the  widow  Myres'  that  one  Thomas 
Lyon  who  lived  about  four  miles  from  her  house  was  yesterday 
killed  and  scalped.  The  certainty  of  Indians  being  about, 
killing  and  taking  prisoners,  is  now  beyond  doubt,  and  has 
induced  me  to  send  this  express.  I  should  have  done  it  before, 
but  could  not  altogether  rely  on  the  accounts  given  me.  I 
dare  say  the  account  will  to  you  be  unexpected,  as  it  really  was 
to  me,  and  seems  so  to  the  country  people,  who  can  scarcely 
believe  it  yet,  having  heard  so  much  of  a  peace  and  Indians 
being  called  in. 

Your  representation  of  the  matter  will  no  doubt  have  great 
weight  and  probably  be  of  infinite  service  to  this  unhappy 
country. 

I  have  given  them  every  assurance  of  assistance  consistent 
with  the  safety  of  this  post,  should  they  stand  fast  and  act 
spiritedly. 

P.  S. —  The  officers  here  that  are  to  retire  are  very  anxious 
to  know  whether  they  will  be  retired.  The  sub-lieutenant  of 
Washington  county  has  written  (by  the  express)  to  the  presi- 
dent [of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania], 
representing  the  situation  of  the  county.4 

1  Ebenezer  Zane,  of  Wheeling1. 

2  Colonel  David  Shepherd,  lieutenant  of  Ohio  county,  Virginia. 

3  Now  Washington,  county-seat  of  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 

4  J.  Dickinson  was  president  of  Pennsylvania,  elected  November  7,  1782. 
(Ante,  p.  260,  note.)  The  letter  referred  to  as  written  him  by  the  sub- 
lieutenant of  Washington  county,  was  as  follows: 

"  Washington  County,  April  5,  1783. 
"Sir: — The  expectation  of  peace  gave  the  inhabitants  of  the  western 
frontiers  hopes  of  being  eased  of  the  calamities  of  war,  at  least  for  some  time; 
but  it  is  our  great  mortification  the  savages  have  begun  anew  their  depreda- 
tions.    They  took  one  Mrs.  Walker  prisoner  on  the  27th  ult.,  on  Buffalo 


1+10  Was7u'ngton-Irvine  Correspondence. 


XLII. —  Major  Craig  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  April  5,  1783. 
Dear  General: — Notwithstanding  General  Carleton's  assur- 
ance of  the  savages  being  restrained  and  the  Indian  partisans 
being  called  in,  we  have  almost  every  day  accounts  of  families 
being  murdered  or  carried  off.     The  frontier  inhabitants  of 

creek,  but  she  happily  made  her  escape.  This  woman  says  that  two  parlies 
of  Indians  are  gone  against  the  inhabitants.  Two  days  after  there  were  two 
men  taken  prisoners  at  Wheeling; — the  day  following,  a  man  was  wounded 
on  Short  creek.  The  1st  of  April  they  took  the  Wison  Boice  and  family  con- 
sisting of  eight  persons,  and  a  man  was  killed  the  day  following,  near  Wash- 
ington county  court  house.  Same  time  two  Indian  rafts  were  seen  on  the 
Ohio,  between  Wheeling  and  Grave  creek.  In  short,  the  inhabitants  are  in 
the  utmost  consternation,  especially  on  the  frontiers;  and,  unless  timely 
relieved,  their  case  must  be  truly  deplorable. 

"  The  commandant  of  Fort  Pitt  (Col.  Bayard)  has  generously  supplied  us 
with  ammunition,  and  is  ready  to  give  us  every  assistance  in  his  power.  We 
are  with  great  respect,  sir,  your  most  obed't  and  humble  servants, 

"W)[.  Parker,      f  c  ,    T .,    w  n  ,, 
u  t  *  r  bub.  L  ts  W.  G. 

'James  Allison,  ) 

The  following  letter  from  the  Washington  county  member  of  the  supreme 
executive  council  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  governor  of  the  state  gives  particulars 
of  these  inroads  and  of  their  subsidence: 

"Washington  County,  May  4,  17^i. 

"Sir: — I  have  no  doubt  but  that  Gen.  Irvine  has  informed  your  excellency 
and  council  of  the  early  inroads  of  the  savages  this  spring,  and  with  what 
uncommon  inhumanity  they  marked  their  horrid  murders,  as  also  the  great 
success  they  met  with  owing  to  the  unexpectedness  of  the  stroke.  I  think  in 
one  week  they  killed  and  captured  seventeen  persons,  two  of  whom  (a  woman 
and  a  boy)  have  since  made  their  escape.  The  people  were  so  entirely  easy 
under  the  expectation  of  a  general  peace,  that  those  butchers  of  mankind  met 
with  no  kind  of  obstruction  in  their  progress;  for  it  is  said,  and  I  believe  with 
truth,  that  they  continued  about  the  frontiers  of  this  county  for  several  days 
without  a  single  scout  pursuing  them.  However,  they  have  at  length  left  the 
country  of  their  own  accord;  and  I  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  your 
excellency  that  1  have  not  heard  of  any  disturbance  from  them  for  several 
weeks  past.     .     .     .      Your  excellency's  most  ob't  humble  serv't, 

"Dorsey  Pentecost." 

The  following  is  from  the  Pennsylvania  Packet  of  June  19,  1783  (No.  1056): 

"Extract  of  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  at  George's  creek,  on  .Monongahcla, 
to  his  brother,  an  officer  in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  dated  May  7,  1783: 

"  '  The  Indiana  have  been  worse  this  spring  than  any  other  time  since  the 
commencement  of  the  war;  kiliing,  captivating  and  burning  upon  all  quar- 


Appendix  M.  Jf.ll 


"Washington  and  Ohio  counties  are  moving  into  the  interior 
settlements.  The  inhabitants  of  "Westmoreland,  it  is  said,  will 
follow  their  example,  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the 
post  of  Wheeling  is  or  will  shortly  be  evacuated. 

It  appears  there  are  several  parties  of  the  enemy,  or  detach- 
ments of  some  large  party,  as  they  are  ranging  the  country  in 
several  places  at  the  same  time.  Colonel  Bayard's  letter1  will 
further  inform  you.  Applications  and  petitions  for  ammuni- 
tion and  assistance  have  come  in  from  all  quarters. 

Prospects  of  peace  on  this  side  the  mountains  seem  to 
vanish.  The  British  either  have  very  little  influence  over  their 
savage  allies  or  they  are  acting  a  most  deceitful  part.  I  hope, 
however,  that  the  assurances  we  have  of  the  pacific  disposition 
of  England  will  give  congress  an  opportunity  of  sending  a 
sufficient  force  to  extirpate  or  at  least  properly  chastise  these 
marauding  rascals.2  Should  an  expedition  be  determined  on  in 
which  artillery  is  to  be  employed,  I  hope  it  will  be  remembered 
that  there  is  not  a  three-pounder  fit  to  be  carried  into  the  field 
at  this  place,  and  that  at  least  two  of  that  calibre  will  be  wanted, 
according  to  my  opinion.  I  hope  I  shall  have  the  pleasure 
of  battering  the  Wyandot  blockhouses  in  the  course  of  the 
ensuing  summer  and  perhaps  of  taking  possession  of  Detroit.3 

ters  of  our  frontiers,  and  the  only  support  that  we  have  is  a  faint  hope  that 
his  excellency,  General  Washington,  will  send  us  relief.  My  dear  brother,  if 
you  have  any  influence  in  this  case,  I  pray  that  you  would  exert  it  to  the 
utmost. ' 

"  It  is  astonishing  how  men  in  power  can  hear  of  our  poor  frontiers,  suffer- 
ing under  the  barbarous  hands  of  cruel  savages,  and  take  no  measure  to  bring 
to  justice  a  race  of  mankind  who  glory  in  killing  women  and  children. 

"  Have  we  lost  all  feelings  in  Philadelphia?  Or  can  we  be  so  void  of  the 
principles  of  justice  as  to  suppose  that  a  people,  who  are  not  protected  by  us, 
owe  allegiance  to  us." 

1  See  previous  letter,  same  date  as  the  above. 

s  "  The  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers  seem  more  discouraged  than  they  have 
been,  having  flattered  themselves  with  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  peace, 
which  hopes  they  now  think  are  frustrated." — John  Cummins  to  Pres't  Dick' 
inson,  from  Hannastown,  March  29,  1783. 

3  Directed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle. 


1+1%  Washington-Twine  Correspondence. 


XLIII. —  Lieut.-Col.  Bayard  to  Irvine.1 

Fort  Pitt,  April  15,  1783. 

Dear  General: — I  thank  you  for  your  kind  favor  by  Major 
Hose.  Since  my  last  by  express,  the  Indians  have  done  no 
more  mischief;  but  signs  have  been  discovered  and  the  country 
people  are  yet  prodigiously  scared  and  say  they  will  make 
another  stroke  soon;  as  they  swear  they  will  be  revenged  on  the 
frontiers  [that  is,  the  frontier  people  will  be  revenged],  be  it 
peace  or  be  it  war. 

The  retired  officers  seem  greatly  distressed  and  dissatisfied 
at  receiving  no  cash  by  Mr.  Rose;  as  they  are  in  debt,  have  no 
money  nor  credit,  and  have  a  great  way  to  go  home.  Their 
case  is  really  hard  and  they  are  to  be  pitied,  but  you  will  say 
that  is  cold  comfort. 

I  have  not  made  up  my  mind  fully  on  the  questions  you 
were  good  enough  to  put  to  me;  but  incline  as  soon  as  peace 
is  established  to  lay  aside  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife 
and  retire  to  a  private  life.  However,  on  this  and  every  other 
interesting  subject,  I  shall  always  pay  a  great  deference  toj'our 
advice. 

The  soldiers  have  said,  as  soon  as  peace  was  concluded,  they 
would  immediately  go  home,  as  they  then  considered  them- 
selves free  men.  I  have  not  heard  them  say  so,  nor  spoke  to 
them  on  the  subject;  but  I  dare  say  I  shall  be  able  to  keep 
them  together  till  further  orders.  Duncan  is  not  yet  arrived; 
I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  a  line  from  you  by  him. 

[P.  S.]  —  I  hear  the  Virginians  are  making  improvements 
over  the  Ohio  from  Beaver  creek  to  the  Muskingum.  Dr. 
Rogers  sends  his  respectful  compliments  to  you. 


XLIV. —  Lieut.-Col.  Bayard  to  Irvine.2 

Fort  Pitt,  April  28,  1783. 
Dear  General: — Mr.  Duncan  handed  me  your  favor  of  the 
9th  instant,  for  which  I  thank  you.     I  make  it  a  point  to  give 


1  Directed  to  Carlisle. 

s  Directed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle. 


Appendix  M.  Jt  13 


you  a  few  lines  by  every  opportunity,  though  they  contain 
very  little  novelty,  and  are  only  a  repetition  of  tlio  same  dull 
scene,  which  can  give  no  entertainment,  yet  may  be  satisfac- 
tory. 

I  sent  last  week  a  scout  to  Wheeling  of  19  men  to  be  out 
eight  days;  that  time  is  elapsed  and  they  are  not  yet  returned. 
Probably  they  may  have  met  with  Indians  which  has  detained 
them;  if  so,  I  shall  know  in  a  day  or  two.  Immediately  on  its 
return  I  propose  sending  another  to  Fort  Crawford  via  widow 
Myres',  which  will  give  confidence  and  keep  people  at  home. 
The  people  of  Westmoreland  have  been  at  me  for  ammunition 
but  I  chose  rather  to  send  a  scout  than  give  it  them. 

Mr.  Rose  will  inform  you  of  the  troops  refusing  to  receive 
their  pay  in  the  way  directed;  they  will  have  no  objections,  I 
am  informed,  to  receive  a  full  month's  pay  at  once  though  they 
grumble  a  good  deal  at  that,  and  have  said  (not  in  my  hearing) 
that  if  they  were  not  settled  with  soon,  thej'  would  lay  down 
their  arms;  but  these  may  be  words,  of  course.  I  hope  soon 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  when  all  these  affairs 
will  be  settled  to  everybody's  satisfaction. 

Mcintosh  I  hope  is  safe;  not  an  Indian  nor  sign  been  seen 
for  a  long  time. 

P.  S. —  Please  inform  Mr.  Bryson  what  Mr.  Rose  says  with 
respect  to  his  pay.  The  party  from  Wheeling  has  just  come 
in;  no  Indians  nor  signs  seen. 


XLV. —  Ephraim  Douglass1  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  4,  1783. 
Sir: —  Presuming  on  your  inclination  equally  with  the  re- 
quest of  the  honorable  the  secretary  at  war,  to  afford  me  every 

1  Douglass  was  an  officer  of  the  revolution,  of  the  eighth  Pennsylvania 
regiment  and  afterward  an  aid  to  General  Lincoln.  Upon  the  erection  of 
Fayette  county,  Penn.,  in  1783,  he  was  appointed  prothonotary  and  clerk  of 
the  courts,  offices  which  (with  others,  civil  and  military)  he  held  until  1808. 
He  died  in  1833. 


j^llf,  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

assistance,1  I  beg  leave  to  trouble  you  with  a  request  for  two 
horses,  one  riding  saddle,  three  blankets,  one  hundred  weight 
of  flour,  forty  pounds  of  dried  bacon  ham  and  one  quart  of 
salt,  in  addition  to  the  one  horse  and  such  articles  as  I  have 
already  received  out  of  the  public  stores. 


XLVI. —  Epheaim  Douglass  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  June  7,  17S3. 

Dear  Sir: — The  delay  of  yesterday  will  probably  deny  me 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  as  I  flattered  m}rself  I  should  at 
Fort  Mcintosh,  where  I  proposed  to  have  taken  my  leave  of 
you,  and  to  have  submitted  to  your  better  judgment  the  pro- 
priety of  informing  [General  George  Rogers]  Clark  of  a  mes- 
senger being  sent  to  the  Indians  with  offers  of  peace;  and 
whether,  in  your  opinion,  it  might  not  possibly  be  a  means  of 
restraining  the  people  of  that  country  from  attempting  any- 
thing against  the  Indians  till  it  shall  be  known  how  the  pro- 
posals of  congress  will  be  received. 

If  your  opinion  coincides  with  my  wishes  on  this  head,  I 
would  beg  you  take  the  trouble  to  write  him  on  the  subject, 
from  a  conviction  that  your  name  will  give  a  sanction  to 
whatever  you  may  think  to  suggest  to  him. 


XLYII. —  Epiiraim  Douglass  to  Irvine. 

Detroit,  July  6,  1783. 
Dear  Sir: — For  the  purpose  of  writing  to  the  honorable, 
the  secretary  at  war,  as  well  as  to  give  you  the  information 

1  For  the  request  of  the  secretary  at  war  to  Irvine  of  which  Douglass  speaks, 
see  p.  188.  Douglass,  when  he  wrote  the  above  letter,  was  en  route  to  the 
Indian  country  "charged  with  a  message  to  the  Indian  nations,"  because  of 
their  hostilities  continued  upon  the  border,  as  mentioned  in  the  letters  of 
Colonel  Bayard  and  Major  Craig,  just  given.     (Ante.  p.  188,  note  2.) 

*  Before  Douglass1  arrival  at  Detroit,  he  sent  in  an  open  letter  by  an  Indian 
to  Mr.  Elliott,  which  letter  was  taken  to  De  Peyster,  the  commandant,  who 
immediately  dispatched  Elliott  into  the  Indian  country  to  meet  him  and  con- 
duct hina  in.  De  Peyster,  at  the  same  time,  wrote  Douglass,  requesting  him 
not  to  enter  into  any  negotiations  with  the  Indians  before  his  arrival. 


Appendix  M.  j  /.', 


of  my  safe  arrival  at  this  place,  I  have  caused  Mr.  Elliott  to 
return  by  the  nearest  way  to  your  post;  and  am  happy  in 
communicating  to  you  that,  though  I  have  not  been  able  to 
answer  entirely  the  expectations  of  the  public,  1  have  found 
the  Indians  highly  disposed,  from  the  pains  which  had  been 
taken  with  them  before  my  arrival,  to  cease  from  further 
hostilities  against  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States,  pro- 
vided that,  on  their  part,  they  [the  latter]  show  the  same  dispo- 
sition to  avoid  the  offer  of  every  cause  of  just  complaint,  and 
particularly  to  confine  themselves  to  that  side  of  the  [Ohio] 
river,  which  neither  prudence  nor  the  laws  of  the  country- 
forbid  their  entrance. 

I  expect  to  depart  to-morrow  for  Niagara,  where  I  am 
encouraged  to  hope  such  instructions  will  shortly  arrive  as 
that  the  officer  [Gen.  Allan  McLean]  commanding  the  district 
will  find  duty  and  inclination  conspire  to  promote  and  effect- 
uate the  business  of  my  mission.  At  present,  the  want  of 
official  information  induces  Colonel  DePeyster,  the  gentleman 
commanding  here,  to  think  it  incompatible  with  his  duty,  as 
it  is  repugnant  to  his  opinion,  to  suffer  the  message  of  the 
United  States  to  be  delivered  before  he  is  possessed  of  such 
authenticated  accounts  of  the  treaty  as  will  justify  his  concur- 
rence with  me.1  Exclusive  of  the  reasons  I  have  already  men- 
tioned, I  have  yet  another  which  I  am  very  earnest  to  make 
known  to  you:  The  possibility  that  curiosity  —  the  desire  of 
visiting  their  relations  or  the  confidence  of  an  hospitable 
reception  —  might  lead  some  of  the  Indians  to  Fort  Pitt, 
while  our  reception  in  their  country  was  still  unknown, —  and 
that  some  injury  might,  in  consequence,  be  offered  to  them  by 
an  unthinking  populace, —  all  bid  me  wish  to  advertise  you  of 
their  friendly  disposition,  from  the  opinion  that  you  will  see 
the  justice  and  necessity  of    affording  them  protection  and 

1  But  Douglass  was  disappointed.  Upon  his  arrival  at  Niagara  he  was  not 
suffered  "to  assemble  the  chiefs  [of  the  various  Indian  tribes  of  the  west]  and 
to  make  known  to  them  the  message"  he  was  charged  with  by  the  United 
States;  his  mission  was,  therefore,  a  failure  in  one  sense,  but  it  tended  to 
lessen  the  inroads  of  the  savages  upon  the  frontiers  and  was,  as  a  consequence, 
productive  of  much  good,  thanks  to  the  kind  offices  of  the  humane  Do  I'eyster. 


Jf.16  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

suitable  assistance.  In  this  case,  I  am  well  assured  that  what- 
ever humanity  and  good  policy  could  suggest,  you  would 
order  to  be  done,  if  our  fate  was  not  so  intimately  connected 
witli  theirs.1  Let  me  beg  that  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  of 
offering  to  trouble  you  with  the  enclosed. 


XLYIII. —  Lieut.-Col.  A.  S.  De  Peyster  2  to  Irvine. 

Detroit,  July  10,  1783. 
Sir: —  By    this    favorable    opportunity  of   Mr.    Elliott,  I 
have  permitted   Mr.    Little  to   return  to  Fort   Pitt,  on   his 

1  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  afterward  written  by  the  commandant 
at  Detroit,  Colonel  A.  S.  De  Peyster,  to  his  superior  officer,  Brigadier  General 
Allan  MacLean,  commanding  at  Niagara,  explains,  as  he  understood  it,  one 
of  the  causes  operating  to  protract  hostilities  between  the  borderers  and  the 
savages : 

"Runners  are  just  come  in  from  the  Indian  country  with  accounts  that  the 
Kentucky  people  had  attacked  and  carried  off  a  number  of  horses  belonging 
to  the  Indian  hunters  who  were  hunting  on  their  own  grounds  at  a  consider- 
able distance  on  this  side  of  the  Ohio.  The  Indians,  not  willing  to  lose  their 
property,  pursued  the  Virginians,  attacked  them,  and  killed  two  men, 
and  had  one  of  their  own  number  mortally  wounded,  who  is  since  dead.  I 
have  made  every  possible  inquiry,  and  can  assure  you  the  Kentuckians  were 
the  aggressors.  I  mention  the  particulars  that  they  may  be  fairly  related,  to 
prevent  any  misfortune  that  might  ensue  from  misapprehensions  of  these 
lawless  people,  the  Indians  being  heartily  disposed  to  peace  and  friendship 
with  the  people  on  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States." 

2  Arent  Schuyler  de  Peyster  was  born  in  New  York  city,  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  June,  1736.  His  father,  Pierre  Guillaume,  was  the  seventh  son  of 
Abraham  de  Peyster.  His  mother  was  Catharine  Schuyler,  sister  of  Peter 
Schuyler,  famous  in  the  history  of  our  country.  Arent  Schuyler  was  their 
second  son.  He  entered  the  eighth,  or  king's  regiment  of  foot,  British  army, 
on  the  tenth  of  June,  1755.  Having  served  in  various  parts  of  North 
America,  he,  finally,  as  captain,  took  command  of  the  post  of  Mackinaw,  in 
1774.  While  there,  the  revolution  was  inaugurated,  which,  in  the  end,  as  we 
have  already  shown,  secured  to  the  British  interest  all  the  western  Indians. 
In  the  management  of  the  wild  tribes  within  his  jurisdiction,  De  Peyster 
displayed  extraord  nary  discretion.  After  the  capture  early  in  1779,  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Henry  Hamilton  by  George  Rogers  Clark,  De  Peyster,  now 
holding  the  rank  of  major,  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  Detroit.  At  tins 
time,  all  the  Ohio  and  Lake  Indians  were  firm  allies  of  the  British,  the 
Delawares  alone  excepted;  and  the  principal  part  of  that  tribe  soon  joined 
their  fortunes  with  the  neighboring  nations. 


Appendix  M.  £17 


private  affairs.  Mr.  Douglass,  before  he  left  this  for  Niagara, 
informed  me  that  he  had  written  to  you  fully  upon  the  sub- 
Brought  into  closer  relation  with  hostile  operations  along  the  border,  the 
command  at  Detroit  was  a  very  difficult  and  perplexing  one  to  the  urbane, 
humane,  and  chivalric  De  Peyster.  His  policy,  so  different  from  that  of  his 
predecessor,  is  well  disclosed  in  one  of  his  speeches  to  the  Delawares  in  1781, 
while  securing  the  alienation  of  that  nation  from  the  Americans:  "Bring 
me,"  said  he,  "some  Virginian  prisoner, —  I  am  pleased  when  I  see  what  you 
call  live  meat,  because  1  can  speak  to  it  and  get  information;  scalps  serve  to 
show  that  you  have  seen  the  enemy,  but  they  are  of  no  use  to  me,  I  cannot 
speak  with  them."  That  he  made  all  haste  to  send  succor  from  Detroit  to  his 
allies  upon  the  Sandusky  upon  the  approach  of  Crawford  and  his  army,  is 
nothing  to  his  discredit.  As  an  officer  in  the  British  army,  he  could  do  no  less. 
His  words  to  his  superior,  upon  learning  the  fate  of  that  unfortunate  com- 
mander, are  highly  creditable  to  him:  "  1  have  sent  messengers  throughout 
the  Indian  country,  threatening  to  recall  the  troops  if  they  —  the  Indians  — 
do  not  desist  from  such  cruelty."  As  an  officer,  although,  at  times,  quite 
arbitrary,  De  Peyster  won  considerable  distinction  at  Detroit.  In  some 
respects,  however,  his  acts  were  open  to  criticism,  especially  in  securing  for 
himself  a  large  grant  of  land  from  the  Indians,  but  which  was  not  confirmed 
to  him.  Concessions  without  authority  of  law  of  public  property  to  private 
individuals  and  unnecessary  bias  to  certain  parties  engaged  in  the  fur- trade, 
have  been  charged  against  him, — possibly  with  some  exaggerations.  On  the 
whole,  his  administration  of  affairs  at  that  post  must  be  considered  as  char- 
acterized by  fairness  as  well  as  firmness. 

After  the  conclusion  of  hostilities  with  the  revolted  colonies,  De  Peyster 
continued  in  the  service,  remaining  at  Detroit  until  1784;  having  risen  to  be 
lieutenant-colonel  daring  that  conflict;  he  afterward  went  to  England 
where  he  received  his  commission  as  colonel.  He  was  located  at  different 
stations,  commanding,  at  one  time,  the  garrison  at  Plymouth;  subsequently 
retiring  to  Dumfries,  Scotland,  his  wife's  native  town.  At  the  period  of  the 
French  revolution,  he  embodied  and  trained  the  first  regiment  of  Dumfries 
volunteers,  of  which  corps  the  poet,  Burns,  was  a  member.  One  of  the 
sparkling  effusions  of  the  latter  is  addressed  to  De  Peyster,  commencing, — 

My  honor'd  Colonel,  deep  I  feel 
Your  int'rest  in  the  Poet's  weal; 
Ah!  how  sma'  heart  hae  I  to  speel 

The  steep  Parnassus, 
Surrounded  thus  by  bolus  pill, 

And  potion  glasses." 

De  Peyster  was  not  only  "a  warrior,  true  and  bold,"  but  a  writer  of  no 

insignificant  power  and  pretensions.     Besides  many  fugitive  poetical  efforts, 

he  left  behind  him  a  volume  of  "  Miscellanies,"  wherein  he  recorded  some  of 

his  services  in  the  northwest  from  1774  to  1779,  which  contains  also  consider- 

27 


4-18  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

ject  of  Lis  voyage.  I  have  given  a  pass  to  a  lad  taken  after 
the  peace  concluded,  to  return  to  his  friends.1 

The  annexed  advertisement2  will  give  you  a  description  of 
certain  slaves,  deserters  from  this  neighborhood  after  the 
peace  concluded  betwixt  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
of  America;  the  owners  having  requested  of  me  to  transmit 
it  to  yon,  in  hopes  you  will  give  orders  for  their  being  appre- 
hended. 

Mr.  Elliott  will  deliver  you  a  letter  from  me  to  General 
Lincoln  in  answer  to  his  letter  to  me  of  the  3d  of  May.3 


XLIX. —  Major  "William  Croghan4  to  Irvine. 

Fort  Pitt,  July  23,  1783. 
Sir: — When  at  Winchester  barracks  about   two   months 
ago,  Captain  John  Stith  had  jnst  returned  from  Philadelphia 
with  one  month's  pay  for  the  troops  at  that  post,  the  whole  of 

able  information  in  regard  to  incidents  transpiring-  in  that  region  during  the 
period  indicated.  He  died  in  Dumfries,  in  November,  1822.  His  remains 
were  interred  in  St.  Michael's  church-yard,  in  presence  of  a  greater  crowd 
than  had  ever  entered  or  surrounded  the  walls  of  the  same  place  since  the 
funeral  of  Robert  Burns.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  probably  the 
oldest  officer  in  his  majesty's  service.     He  was  buried  with  military  honors. 

1  John  Burkhart.  He  was  taken  by  a  war-party  of  savages  headed  by 
Simon  Girty,  in  May  previous,  five  miles  from  Pittsburgh,  at  the  mouth  of 
Nine  Mile  Run.  Guns  were  firing  in  Fort  Pitt  at  the  very  time  of  the  boy's 
capture,  on  account  of  the  reception  of  the  news  of  peace.  This  fact  was 
made  known  to  Girty  by  the  lad;  and  still  he  was  taken  to  Detroit,  but  was, 
of  course,  returned  to  his  friends  by  De  Peyster,  at  the  first  opportunity. 
Burkhart  was  well  treated  by  Girty,  as,  indeed,  were  /)ther  persons  in  his 
power  after  De  Peyster  assumed  command  at  Detroit. 

2  This  advertisement  has  not  been  found,  which  is  a  matter  of  regret,  as 
the  citizens  of  Detroit  would,  doubtless,  be  interested  in  reading  a  description 
of  certain  negro  slaves  held  by  residents  of  their  city  only  five  years  before  the 
passage  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787. 

3  A  search  for  copies  of  these  letters  has  proved  fruitless. 

4  William  Croghan  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  entered  the  American 
army  in  1776,  as  captain  of  infantry  in  the  Virginia  line.  He  fought  at 
Brandywine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  but  was  made  prisoner  of  war 
May  12,  1780,  at  Charleston,  under  General  Lincoln  and  released  on  parol. 
He  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  but 


Appendix  M.  Jt  t9 

which  he  paid  both  officers  and  soldiers  (then  present)  at  one 
payment;— my  being  particular  in  mentioning  their  being 
paid  the  month's  pay  at  once,  is  on  account  of  the  orders  I 
was  informed  were  sent  to  Fort  Pitt  when  the  month's  pay 
was  sent  there,  which  said  the  soldiers  should  receive  no  more 
than  half  a  dollar  per  week  of  the  month's  pay  until  the 
whole  was  paid.1 

could  only  participate  in  the  stirring  scenes  by  his  presence,  as  he  was  not 
exchauged  at  that  date,  but  had  been  previous  to  the  writing  of  this  letter  to 
Irvine.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  the  senior  major  of  the  Virginia 
line.  He  moved  to  Kentucky  in  1784,  where  he  married  a  sister  of  George 
Rogers  Clark.  He  died  at  Locust  Grove,  Jefferson  county,  that  state,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1822,  in  the  seventieth  jear  of  his  age. 

1  The  following  correspondence  explains  why  the  above  letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  General  Irvine : 

"Winchester  Barracks,  July  13,  1783. 

"  Dear  Sir: — I  am  directed  by  the  honorable  Major  General  Lincoln  to 
send  an  officer  to  Fort  Pitt  to  discharge  the  men  belonging  to  the  Virginia 
line  enlisted  for  the  war  and  to  give  them  three  months'  pay.  I  have,  there- 
fore, to  request  you  will  undertake  this  business  as  quick  as  possible.  Colonel 
Wood  will  furnish  you  with  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  Morris's  notes,  .and  a 
number  of  printed  furloughs  or  discharges.  You  will  permit  the  men  dis- 
charged to  carry  their  arms  and  accouterments  with  them.  I  am,  sir,  your 
most  obedient  humble  servant.  P.  Muhlenberg,  B.  G'l. 

"  P.  S. —  The  officers  only  who  were  arranged  last  January  receive  pay.  If 
any  others  are  on  duty  they  must  transmit  their  accounts  to  General  Lincoln. 

"  Major  Croghan." 

"Fort  Pitt,  July  23,  1783. 

"Sir: — The  above  is  an  extract  of  my  orders  from  General  Muhlenberg  for 
discharging  and  paying  the  Virginia  line  at  Fort  Pitt.  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

"  W.  Croghan,  Major  Virginia  Line. 

"  General  Irvine." 

Immediately  afterward,  Irvine  issued  the  following:  "Orders.  Fort  Pitt, 
July  24,  1783.  In  consequence  of  orders  from  the  honorable  the  secretary  at 
war,  Major  [William]  Croghan  will  begin  to-morrow  to  furlough  (which  will 
serve  as  discharges  as  soon  as  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace  is  concluded)  the 
troops  of  the  Virginia  line  at  this  post,  and  will  pay  them  in  notes  for  the 
months  of  February,  March,  and  April  last.  Lieutenant  Rose  will  pay  them 
in  specie  for  the  month  of  January,  at  the  same  time. 

"  The  general  has  reason  to  expect  directions  in  a  few  days  for  discharging 
the  Pennsylvanians  on  similar  principles.  The  men  will  be  allowed  to  take 
their  arms  with  them.  As  Captain  [Uriah]  Springer's  company  will  be  first 
settled  with,  none  of  them  are  to  be  detailed  for  duty  to-morrow. 

"  General  Irvine  has  not  a  doubt  but  the  notes  will  be  equal  to  specie  at 


Ji.20  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 


L. —  Major  Crogiian  to  Irvine. 

"Warm  Springs,  August  30,  17S3. 

Dear  General: —  Having  received  letters  from  Pointy  [Point 
of]  Fork  and  meeting  with  people  herewith  whom  I  had  busi- 
ness, added  to  the  agreeable  company  here  (which  amounts  to 
near  six  hundred),  among  whom  are  Generals  Gates,  Gist, 
Morgan  and  Williams,  I  have  delayed  longer  than  I  intended. 

I  have  enquired  when  the  Maryland  company  are  to  march 
to  Fort  Pitt,  and  am  informed  they  are  in  Fredericktown, 
Maryland,  and  that  about  a  week  ago  an  express  was  sent  to 
the  war  office  to  receive  orders  for  and  respecting  their  march. 

General  Morgan  received  a  letter  from  Colonel  Lamb  to  the 
same  purport  of  that  you  got  from  him.  He  is  apprehensive 
he  will  have  to  pay  his  part  of  the  bill. 

The  officers  of  the  Virginia  line  are  to  have  a  meeting 
at  Fredericksburg  the  beginning  of  October,  respecting  the 
society  now  forming  by  the  officers  of  the  different  states, 
when  they  will  choose  their  officers  for  it,1  and  consult  on  other 
matters  for  our  general  benefit. 


LI. —  Irvine  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  De  Peyster. 

Fort  Pitt,  August,  1783. 

Sir: — I  have  been  honored  with  your  letter  of  the  10th  of 
July  by  Mr.  Elliot,  and  have  transmitted  the  enclosed  letter 
to  General  Lincoln. 

Report  says  the  definitive  treaty  has  arrived  at  New  York; 

the  time  they  become  due;  he  therefore  earnestly  advises  the  men  not  to  part 
with  them  at  an  undervalue.  The  several  states  will  certainly  make  good 
their  engagements  with  the  troops; — their  now  adopting  ways  and  means  to 
pay  the  interest  on  certificates  is  a  proof  of  their  inclination  to  do  justice. 

"The  general  flatters  himself  this  advice  will  have  weight  with  the  men  as 
they  must  be  convinced  he  can  have  no  self-interested  motives  in  view,  and 
that  he  has  never  on  any  occasion  shown  a  disposition  to  deceive  them  by 
promising  what  he  had  not  clearly  a  right  to  expect  done  for  them." 

1  Reference  is  here  made  to  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 


.1/7"  ndix  M.  Jf.'J 

the  enclosed  newspapers,  which  I  send  for  your  amusement, 
contain  all  I  can  say  of  if,  as  I  have  not  any  oflicial  communi- 
cation on  that  subject;  the  probability,  however,  is  in  favor  of 
its  beim;  true.  No  fugitive  negroes  have  come  into  this  conn- 
try  for  upwards  of  nine  months  past  that  I  have  heard  of.  I 
will  cause  the  advertisement  to  be  made  public,  and  if  all  or 
any  of  the  described  negroes  can  be  found  during  my  com 
mand  here,  their  owners  may  expect  that  they  will  be  sent  to 
Detroit  the  first  proper  opportunity.1 


LI  I. —  Irvine  to  Captain  Joseph   Mabbuby.8 

Fort  Pitt,  Oct.  1,  1783. 
Sir: — By  official  information  respecting  your  appointment 
and  orders  for  taking  command  of  this  post  I  am  persuaded 
you  must  arrive  in  a  few  days.3     The  troops  have  been  already 

When  General  Irvine  returned  home  he  proposed  immediately  to  free  the 
few  slaves  he  held  under  the  laws  of  Pennsylvania,  as  he  remarked  it  was 
inconsistent  for  a  man  who  had  been  so  long  contending  for  liberty  to  hold 
men  in  bondage.  My  grandmother  told  me,  on  her  consent  the  negroes  were 
all  called  in,  and  when  he  told  them  they  were  free,  they  were  overjoyed,  and 
his  body  servant  Tom  said:  "  Master,  am  I  free  to  do  as  I  please?"  "  Yes," 
was  the  reply,  "  as  free  as  I  am,  and  what  do  you  want  to  do  now?"  So  Tom 
(whom    he  had  purchased  from  a  self-righteous  man  of    Boston  — a    -Mr. 

R )  said  he  would  like  to  go  back  and  see  the  old  folks.    He  was  fitted 

out  with  clothing  and  money  and  was  off  to  Boston.  Several  years  elapsed; 
one  day  the  general  was  passing  by  the  kitchen  door,  when  he  noticed  a  mis- 
erable, ragged  negro  seated  inside.  He  went  in,  asked  him  who  he  was,  and 
what  he  was  doing  there.  The  fellow  jumped  up  and  said:  "Oh,  Master, 
don't  you  know  old  Tom?  he  has  come  back  to  live  and  die  here;  he's  found 
that  thingyou  call  libertyis  all  sham;"  and  he  did  live  and  die  there.  In  the 
case  of  the  Detroit  people,  General  Irvine  was  actuated  by  a  regard  to  the 
rights  of  others  as  then  recognized;  but,  when  it  became  a  question  where  his 
own  property  was  concerned,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  let  the  instinct  of  human- 
ity be  paramount.—  Communicated  by  Dr.  Wm.  A.  Irvine. 

8  In  1780,  Captain  Marbury  of  the  Maryland  line  acted  as  quartermaster  to 
the  Maryland  division  of  the  army. 

3  That  is,  by  a  letter  received  from  General  Lincoln  or  rather  from  his  as- 
sistant, W.  Jackson  (ante,  p.  195).  Irvine,  however,  as  appears  by  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  his  wife,  had  previously  a  clue  as  to  who  his  successor  was  to  be: 

"Fokt  Pitt,  September  8,  1783. 

"  My  Dear  Lore:— Since  Mr.  Rose  left  this,  letters  have  arrived  here  ad- 
dressed to  a  Captain  Marbury,  by  General  Lincoln,  which  convinces  me  he 


4  B8  Washington-Irvine  Correspondence. 

detained  so  much  longer  than  any  others  that  they  are  im- 
patient, though  perfect  tranquility  is  reigning.  Fur  these 
reasons,  and  because  of  the  urgent  necessity  for  my  attending 
immediately  to  private  concerns,  I  have  left  Captain  John 
Finley  in  command,  with  a  small  detachment  only,  till  your 

arrival,  having  furloughed  the  rest.1 

i 

thinks  I  have  left  the  place.  Marbury,  however,  is  not  yet  come.  He  is  the 
officer  to  take  command.  Some  accident  must  have  happened  him  or  his 
party.  Matters  will,  I  hope,  be  adjusted  soon,  at  furtherest  when  Mr.  Rose 
returns.  If  Captain  Marbury  should  come  in  a  few  days,  it  is  probable  I  may 
set  out  immediately  and  not  wait  for  Mr.  Rose's  return,  but  of  this  1  am  not 
certain.  You  may  inform  Mr.  Rose  of  this  part  of  this  letter;  and  also  if  I 
do  set  out,  I  shall  take  the  Glade  road. 

"  I  swapped  Calender's  pony  yesterday  for  another — a  real  beauty  and  I 
am  told  it  runs  fast,  but  this  may  be  against  it  for  his  safety ;  however.  1  be- 
lieve it  is  good  humored.  It  fs  a  great  runaway  and  hard  to  catch;  its 
name  —  Mingo,  I  have  let  Colonel  Gibson  have  it  for  his  little  daughter  to 
ride  to  Carlisle,  who  promises  to  deliver  it  as  soon  as  'she  gets  there.  This 
serves  him  and  saves  me  the  trouble  and  expense  of  taking  it  down. 

"  Wm,  Irvine." 

1 "  Orders.  Fort  Pitt,  September  28,  1783.  Lieutenant  John  Mahon  is 
appointed  agent  to  settle  the  accounts  of  the  troops  of  the  garrison  with  the 
auditor  at  Philadelphia  and  to  distribute  the  certificates  to  the  individuals; 
each  man  will,  previous  to  receiving  his  furlough,  inform  Mr.  Mahon  where  he 
means  to  reside  next  winter,  in  order  to  know  where  will  be  most  convenient 
to  advertise  them  to  assemble,  for  a  final  adjustment  of  their  accounts.  The 
officers  present  will  give  him  all  necessary  assistance,  and  before  they  depart 
render  him  accounts  of  clothing  issued  to  the  men.  He  is  also  to  call  on  Lieu- 
tenant Reed  for  a  settlement  for  the  time  he  acted  as  paymaster,  and  all 
others  concerned." 

"Orders.  Fort  Pitt,  September  30,  1TS>.  Captain  John  Finley  will  re- 
main in  command  at  this  post  with  the  detachment  already  formed  for  that 
purpose  until  the  arrival  of  the  new  garrison.  Lieutenant  [John]  Mahon  will 
also  remain.  All  other  officers  have  leave  of  absence  as  soon  as  they  furnish 
Mr.  Mahon  with  nece-sary  vouchers  and  accounts  to  enable  him  to  proceed  to 
a  liquidation  of  the  accounts  of  the  troops,  agreeably  to  his  appointment." 

The  following  was  dated  Fort  Pitt,  Oct.  1,  1783:  "By  a  resolution  of  con- 
gress dated  July  4,  1783,  the  paymaster  general  is  authorized  and  empowered 
to  settle,  and  appoint  persons  finally  to  adjust,  all  accounts  whatsoever  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army.  Being 
<ted  by  him  to  appoint  an  agent  who  should  examine  and  receive  the 
ben  of  such  persons  whose  accounts  are  connected  with  this  settlement 
of  the  different  detachments  constituting  this  garrison,  you  are  hereby  author- 
ized by  virtue  of  the  powers  vested  in  John  Pierce,  Esq.,  paymaster  general, 


Appendix  .)/.  .) .' : 

This  gentleman  has  charge  of  all  the  stores  and  will  deliver 
them  with  returns  to  you.  lie  is  well  informed  of  all  mat- 
ters necessary  for  you  to  know  relative  to  the  post  and  hafi 
my  orders  also  to  communicate  some  private  ideas  by  way  of 
advice,  which  I  hope  will  be  taken  as  intended  (friendship  for 
a  brother  officer). 

Inclosed  you  have  a  copy  of  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  the 
secretary  at  war  addressed  to  me  dated  the  15th  inst.1 


LIII. —  Captain  Marbury  to  Irvine.2 

Pittsburgh,  October  28,  1783. 
Sir: —  On  my  arrival  at  this  post  I  received  your  letter  of 
the  1st  instant.  1  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you  for  your 
friendly  advice  through  Captain  Finley3  and  will  strictly 
adhere  to  it.  I' shall  always  be  ready  to  give  Mr.  Mahon4  all 
the  aid  and  assistance  in  my  power.3 

by  the  honorable  the  continental  congress  to  call  to  account  such  regimental 
paymasters  whether  they  be  actually  in  service  or  discontinued,  and  demand 
such  papers  as  you  may  judge  requisite  for  your  sufficient  information,  of  per- 
sons possessed  of  them. 

"For  your  transactions  on  this  occasion,  provided  they  be  agreeable  to  the 
existing  resolves  of  congress,  this  shall  be  your  wan-ant. 

•'  Wm.  Irvine,  B.  Gen'l. 

"Lieutenant  John  Mahon,  2d  Penn'a  Regt." 

1  Irvine  should  have  written  "  15th  ult."  See  Jackson  to  Irvine,  September 
15,  1783,  p.  195. 

2  This  letter  was  directed  to  Irvine  at  Carlisle. 

3  Captain  John  Finley.     See  previous  letter. 

4  Lieut.  John  Mahon  (ante,  p.  422,  note  1). 

6  "We  have  long  been  puzzled,"  wrote  Neville  B.  Craig  in  January,  1847 
("The  Olden  Time,"  Vol.  II,  p.  48),  "to  know  why  the  street  which  runs 
right  by  our  dwelling  to  the  Alleghany  river,  was  called  Marbury  street  [now, 
1882,  Third  street].  We  have  often  made  inquiries  of  old  residents,  but 
never  until  within  a  short  time  got  any  information.  Judge  Wilkins,  a  few 
days  ago,  informed  us  that  an  application  had  been  made  to  him  to  prepare 
the  papers  to  procure  from  government  some  arrears  of  pay  or  pension  due  to 
an  old  soldier.  Upon  examining  the  necessary  documents,  he  discovered  that 
the  soldier  had  belonged  to  the  company  of  a  Captain  Marbury,  and  that  he 
was  discharged  from  the  service  at  Fort  Pitt,  in  June,  1784." 


INDEX. 


Albert,  G.  Dallas,  17G,  177. 
"Alleghany,"  how  to  spell,  136. 
Allison,  Col.  James,  410. 
Amberson,  Win.,  152. 
Arbuckle,  Capt.  Matthew,  14. 
Ashcraft,  Sergeant  John,  324. 
Audebert,  Philip,  14S. 
^Augusta  county,  Va.,  4. 
Bailey,  Francis,  128,  129. 
Bayard,  Lieut.-Col.  Stephen,41, 54, 68, 

74,  75,  108,  142,  148,  159,  187,  320, 

340,  350,  357,  390,  408,  410,  411, 

412,  414. 
Beall,  Capt.  Robt.,  37,  124,  328,  379. 
Beard,  Col.  Geo.,  330. 
Beckett,  Capt.  Joseph,  324. 
Biggs,  Capt.  Benj.,  120,  352. 
Biggs,  Capt.  John,  299,  343. 
Blaine,  Alex.,  211. 
Blaine,  Ephraim,  209,  210,  220,  221, 

407. 
Blaine,  James  G.,  408. 
Block  houses:  Carnahan's,  323,  324; 

Rice's,  313;  Rook's,  161. 
Blue  Jacket,  a  Shawanese  chief,  332, 

333. 
Blue  Licks,  battle  of,  333. 
Board  of  War,  letters  to,  from  Gen. 

Irvine,  157-165. 
Boggs,  Capt.  John,  312. 
Boggs,  James,  264. 
Boundary  troubles,  4,  34,  36,  64,  80. 
Brackenridge,  H.  H.,  126,  128,  129, 

304,  384. 
Braddock's  road,  1,  177. 
Brady,  Capt.  Samuel,  41,  74,  88,  112, 

134,  159,  319,  336,  350. 
Brant  (Thayendaneg?a).  Capt.  Joseph, 

55,  110,  230. 
Brenton,  James,  122,  365. 


Brodhead,  Col.  Daniel,  22,  23,  34,  35, 

36,  37,  38,  39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  48,  49, 

51,  52,  53,  54,  56,  58,  62,  74,  7:.,  76, 

83,  97,  103,  110,  170,  193,  194,  304, 

340. 
Brown,  Thomas,  372. 
Bryson,  Lieut.  Samuel,  111,  146,  360, 

413. 
Bull,  Joseph,  236,  341,  342,  362. 
Burkhart,  John,  418. 
Butler,  Capt.  Edward,  357. 
Butler,  Col.  Richard,  96,  97,  98,  168, 

178,  199,  356,  397. 
Butler,  Lieut.-Col.  Wm.,  97. 
Butler,  Maj.  Thomas,  357. 
Butler's  Rangers,  305. 
Caldwell,  Capt.  Wm.,  122,  127,  305, 

332,  333,  368,  370,  371,  378. 
Callender,  Anne  (Mrs.  Wm.  Irvine), 

65,  340-34S,  357. 
Callender,  Mrs.  Robert,  340,  350. 
Callender,  Robert,  65. 
Campbell,  Capt.  Thomas,  46. 
Canipbell,  Col.  Charles,  104,  324,  331, 

357. 
Campbell,    Lieut.-Col.    Richard,    27, 

38. 
Canada,  conquest  of,  1. 
Canon,  John,  204,  205,  206,  241,  284. 
Carleton,  Gen.  Sir  Guy,  124,  128,  135, 

337,  410. 
Carmichael,  Maj.  James,  105,  285. 
Carmichael,  John,  285. 
Carnahan,  Col.  John,  210,  257,  258, 

260. 
Carpenter,  John,  100,  101,   102,  197, 

240,  243. 
Catfish  (Catfish  Camp),  280,  303,  306, 

308,  314,  316,  330,  392,  405. 
Chief -with-one- Eye,  371. 


$6 


Index. 


Clark,  Geo.  Rogers,  14,  15,  53  et  seq., 
76,  77,  83,  139,  154,  155,  229,  230, 
231,  259,  271,  273,  275,  332,  333, 
368,  371,  377,  378,  392,  393,  394, 
396,  398,  400,  401,  414. 

Clark,  Capt.  John,  31,  74,  88, 108, 159, 
194,  351,  352. 

Clark,  Ensign  John,  killed,  37. 

Conolly,  Dr.  John,  71,  172. 

Cook,  Col.  Edward,  104,  248,  253,  282, 
295,  296,  310,  317,  320,  321,  323, 
324-327,  329,  331,  334,  335,  336, 
338,  339,  345,  405. 

Cook,  Paden,  330. 

Cornstalk,  a  Shawanese  chief,  14. 

Coshocton  Campaign,  53,  305. 

Coverly,  Col.  Win,  291. 

Cracraft,  Maj.  Charles,  230. 

Craig,  Maj.  Isaac,  48,  55,  56,  76,  77, 
88,  108, 113,  130,  137, 138,  139,  140, 
174,  231,  343,  350,351,  396,  406,  408, 
410,  414. 

Craig,  Neville  B.,  78,  139,  423. 

Craig,  Thomas,  97. 

Crockett,  Col.  Joseph,  55. 

Crawford,  Col.  Wm,  75,  107,  114- 
117,  118,  119,  122,  123,  125,  127, 
128,  131  etseq.,  174,  244,  246,  247, 
249,  250,  274,  278,  239,  291,  292, 
293,  294,  305,  332,  363,  364,  366, 
367,  370,  374,  375,  376,  378,  387. 

Crawford,  Hanna,  131. 

Croghan,  Col.  Geo.,  170. 

Croghan,  Maj.  Wm.,  292,  345,  418, 
419,  420. 

Crooks,  Col.  Thomas,  105,  297,  302, 
308,  316,  320. 

Crumrine,  Boyd,  396,  404. 

Cummins,  John,  411. 

Davies,  Col.  Wm.,  272-270,  292. 

Davis,  Col.  Benjamin,  295,  325,  327, 
330. 

De  Peyster,  L;.eut.-Col.  A.  S.,  7,  51,  00, 
77,  82,  124,  133,  230,  368,  369,  370, 
371,  872,373,  374,  373,  414,  415,  416, 
417,  420. 


Detroit,  an  expedition  against,  21  et- 
seq. ;  deferred,  23;  Clark's  expedition 
against  and  its  failure,  53  et  seq.; 
why  the  post  should  be  demolished, 
79,  83;  supposed  plan  against,  125. 

Dewantale,  an  Indian,  371. 

Dickinson,  Pres't  John,  188;  letters 
to,  from  Gen.  Irvine,  260,  261 ; 
letters  to  Irvine,  262-265;  elected 
Pres't  of  Sup.  Ex.  Council  of  Pa., 
260,  409. 

District  of  West  Augusta,  24,  272. 

Dixon,  Jeremiah,  248. 

Dod,  Thaddeus,  307. 

Dougherty,  Benard,  348. 

Douglass,  Ephraim,  57,  188,  252,  388, 
391,  394,  413,  414,  415,  417. 

Draper,  LL.D.,  Lyman  C,  364. 

Duncan,  David,  81,  152,  154,  159, 161, 
165,  202,  208,  217,  239,  252,  254, 
317,348,352,381,  412. 

Dunlavy,  Francis,  10,  27,  28. 

Dunmore,  Lord,  115,  170. 

Dunmore's  War,  115,  278,  341,  349, 
363. 

Edgar,  James,  105,  284. 

Eels,  John,  107, 108,  120. 

Egle,  Dr.  Wm.  H.,  177,  284,  235,  353- 
355. 

Elliott,  Andrew,  69. 

Elliott,  Capt.  Matthew,  17,  58,  60, 
127,  305,  332,  341,  369. 

Emes,  Capt.,  223. 

Emerson,  John,  198. 

Enoch,  Col.  Henry,  308. 

Evans,  Col.  John,  24,  266,  272,  275, 
356,  378,  380,  382. 

Fincastle  county,  Va.,  4. 

Finley,  Capt.  J.  L.,  159,  353. 

Finley,  Capt.  John,  159,  353,  422, 
423. 

Finley,  Maj.  Samuel,  85. 
Fisher,  Myndert,  72,. 82. 
Forbes  Road,  3,  176,  177. 
"Foreman's  defeat,"  13. 
Foreman,  Charles,  323,  330. 


Index. 


L  27 


Forts:  Armstrong,  13,  41;  Andrew- 
Donnelly's,  19;  Crawford,  39; 
"Dunmore,"  80,  115;  Duquesne, 
8,  71,  171;  Fincastle,  8,  278;  Hand, 
24,  39;  Henry,  10,  13,  35,  270,  278, 
397;  Jackson's,  298;  Laurens,  28, 
32,  36,  37,  38;  Le  Bceuf,  110,  111; 
Ligonier,  41,  176,  254;  Mcintosh, 
26,  35,  78.  79;  Miller,  251;  Nelson, 
144,  231;  Pitt,  2,  71,  78,  80;  Presq' 
Isle,  111;  Schlosser,  143;  Randolph, 
10,  13,  35,  40;  Richard  Wells',  297; 
Venango,  110,  111;  Wallace,  29. 

Fowler,  Alexander,  62,  152,  159,  166. 

Freman,  John,  315^  395. 

Gaddis,  Col.  Thomas,  122,  365. 

Gardner,  Joseph,  94. 

Gibson,  Col.  John,  22,  28,  31,  42,  56, 
57,  67,  71,  73,  74,  85,  89,  95,  103, 
108,  117,  131,  153,  165,  241,  267, 
282,  285,  322,  337,  340,  344,  349, 
351,  353,  362. 

Gibson,  George,  letter  Lo  Irvine,  353. 

Girty,  George,  55. 

Girty,  James,  25,  55. 

Girty,  Simon,  17,  31,  47,  55,  126,  127, 
293,  332,  342,  376,  418. 

Girty,  Thomas,  291. 

Gist,  Christopher,  78. 

Glenn,  David,  59. 

" Gnadenhuetten  affair,"  the,  67,  99, 
127,  236-239,  240,  241,  242,  282, 
288,  289,  361,  372,  373,  374,  377. 

Gordon,  James,  120,  253. 

Grant,  a  British  captain,  374. 

Greene,  Gen.  Nathaniel,  178,  185. 

Haldimand,  Gen.  Fred'k,  124,  135, 
230,  373. 

Half  King,  a  Wyandot  chief,  18,  61. 

Hamilton,  Lieut.-Gov.  Henry,  7,  9,  77, 
392. 

Hanks,  Wm.,  405. 

Hannastown,  4,  161,  177,  250,  251, 
252,  253,  254,  270,  303,  336,  350, 
381,  383,  386,  394. 

Hanna,  Robert,  176. 


Hand,  Brig.-Gen.  Edward,  10,  11,  20, 

22,  71,  116. 
Hardin,  Lieut.  John,  4-\,  152. 
Hardin,  Maj.  John,  274. 
Harmar,  Lieut. -Col.  Josiah,  197,  198, 

199. 
Harrison,  Col.  Benj.,  327,   328,   329, 

330,  331,379,3si. 

Harrison,  Col.  Wm.,  107,  127,  294, 
376,  377. 

Harrison,  Gov.  Benj.,  76,  266,  268, 
269,  270,  401. 

Hart,  Barney,  225. 

Hay,  Lieut.  John,  281,343. 

Hays,  Christopher,  94,  161,  255,  322, 
327,  329,  330,  338,  402,  404,  405. 

Hazen,  Brig.-Gen.  Moses,  regiment 
of,  133,  134,  181,  183,  258,  397. 

Heckewelder,  John,  51. 

Hilligas,  Michael,  14S,  212,  213. 

Hinds,  John,  72. 

Hogdon,  Samuel,  222-224. 

Hoge,  John,  322. 

Howell,  Jacob  S.,  225,  228. 

Hutfnagle,  Michael,  81,  161,  165,  167, 
201,  204,  208,  240,  250,  253,  254, 
263,  281,  383. 

Hughes,  Capt.  John,  226,  287,  283, 
310,  311,  330,  343. 

Humpton,  Col.  Richard,  96,  97,  235. 

Hunter,  Robert,  an  Oneida  chief,  169, 

Hutching,  Thomas,  78. 

"Indiana,"  Indian  land  grant,  295. 

Indian  Moses,  88. 

Indians:  Chippewas,  333;  Delawares, 
9,  10,  13,  14,  16,  25,  42,  43,  51,  52, 
58,  90,  100,  113,  122,  124,  135,  179, 
333,  349,  369,  374,  377;  "Lake," 
122;  Mingoes,  5,  13,  14,  18,  45,  48, 
122,  124,  333,  341,  369;  Monseys, 
16,  58,  113,  124,:::;:!;  "Moravians," 
27,  59,  60,  61,  67,  90,  91,  99,  101, 
106,  236,  237,  238,  241-21::,  245, 
250,  282,  288,  289,  293,  294,  305, 
342,343,344;  Ottawas,  2,  91,  113, 
333;  "Pluggy's-town,"  9, 11;  Shaw- 


m 


Index. 


anese,  5,  7,  10,  13,  14,  25,  45,  58, 
91,  113,  124,  259,  292,  332,  353,  341, 
342,  349,  369,  374;  Six  Nations,  42, 
172;  Senecas,  42,  349;  Wyandots, 
13,  18,  45,  48,  58,  113,  122, 124, 135, 
333. 

Indian  treaty,  25. 

Irvine,  Mrs.  Win.,  65,  340-348,  357. 

Irvine,  Callender,  341,  346,  348,  422. 

Irvine,    Brig.-Gen.  Win.,  64,    65-70; 
correspondence  of,  71-152,  153-423. 

Irvine,  Dr.  Wm.  A.,  341.  421. 

Irwin,  John,  200,  219,  259. 

Jack,  Capt.  Matthew,  46,  235,  384. 

Jackson,  W.,  195. 

Johnson,  Lieut.  Richard,  330. 

Johnson,  Guy,  63. 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  110,  143. 

Jones,  Lieut.,  236. 

Kilibuck,  a  Delaware,  10. 

Killbuck,  Jr.,  John,  2"),  31,  106. 

Knight,  Dr.  John,  117,  122,  123,  125, 
126, 128,  129,  249,  363,  365,  376,  377. 

Knox,  Brig.-Gen.  Henry,  96. 

Laurel  Hill,  90. 

Lee,  H.,  262,  263. 

Leet,  Daniel,  122. 

Leeth  (Leith),  John,  7,  304. 

Leinbach,  Fred'k,  237,  233. 

LeVillier,  Francis,  305,  368. 

Lewis,  Andrew,  25. 

Lincoln,   Maj.-Gen.    Benj.,    81,    157, 
166-193,  212,  353,  419. 

Loyd,  Capt.  James,  351. 

Lochry,  Col.  Archibald,  24,  55,  56,  77, 
154,  229,  230,  233. 

Logan,  Col.  Benj.,  401. 

Logan,  the  Mingo  Chief.  5,  283,  344. 

Lowrey,  Col.  Alex.,  92,  264,  353,  354. 

Lyon,  John,  119. 
355,  356. 

Magaw,  Col.  Robert,  255,  256. 

Mahon,  Lieut.  John,  422,  423. 

Malott,  Catharine,  47. 

Marbury,  Capt.  Joseph,  189,  192,  195, 
199,421,  422,423. 


Marshel,  Col.  James,  50,    67,  81,  84 

85,   10G,  239,   240,   245,   240,  248, 

277-320,  331,  338,  361,  365,  390. 
Marshall,   Col.  John,  302,   308,   311, 

316. 
Martin,  Capt.  Hugh,  331. 
Maryland  corps,  39,  40,  48,  164. 
Masonic  Fraternity  in  the  West,  172. 
Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  82,  248,  249, 

402,  403,  404. 
Mason,  Charles,  248. 
McClean,  Alex.,  248,   249,  268,   294, 

295,  326,  327,  328,  329,  330,  337, 

403. 
McClelland,  Maj.  John,  122,  123,  365, 

371. 
McCleery,  Col.  Wm.,  279,  391. 
McClure,  John,  262.  263. 
McColloch,  Ebenezer,  312. 
McColloch,  Maj.  Samuel,  52.  306,  391. 
McDonald,  Maj.  Angus,  115,  278. 
McGruder,  Capt.  Hez.,  329,  330. 

Mcintosh,    Brier. -Hen.    Lachlan,    20, 

26,  27.  28,  33,  116. 
MoKean,  Thomas,  153. 
McKee,  Alex.,  16.   17,  29,  126,  230, 

332,  333,  342.  370. 
McKee,  Capt.  Wm.,  18. 
"McKee's  Rocks,"  78. 
McLean,  Gen.  Allan,  415,  416. 
Meason,  Isaac,  234,  235. 
Miles,  Samuel,  163,  217-221. 
Miller,  Gavin,  236. 
"Mohawk  Pluggy,"  9. 
Montour,  Andrew,  169. 
Montour,  Madame,  169. 
Montour,  John,  52,  168,  169. 
Moore,  Capt.  Thomas,  124,  325,  328, 

379. 
Moorhead,  Capt.  Samuel,  11,   13,  39, 

46. 
Moore,  Pres't  Wm.,  233-25*. 
Morgan,  Col.  Geo.,  9,  10,  17. 
Morris,  Robert,  81,  84,  95,  109,   145, 

161,    166,  189,   195,   200-213,   221, 

222,  258,  325,  326,  327,  40«. 
Moylan,  John,  178,  225-227. 


Index. 


',  W 


Muhlenberg,  Brig.-Gen.  P.,  419. 

Neill,  Wm.,  346. 

Nelson,  Thomas,  76. 

Neville,  Amelia,  406. 

Neville,  Capt.  John,  8,  9,  71,  406. 

Neville,  Joseph,  249. 

"  New  state  scheme,"  64,  196-199. 

Nicholson,  Joseph,  152,  363. 

Nicholson,  Thomas,  122,  363. 

Ohio  County,  Va.,  24. 

Ormsby,  John,  152,  294,  295,  296,  297, 

347. 
"  Pan-handle,"  272,  297. 
Parker,  Col.  Wm.,  279,  297,  319,  410. 
Parkison,  Capt.  Thomas,    203,    204, 

205,  206,  208,  209,  287,  296,  308, 

396. 
Peachy,  Col.  Wm.,  116. 
Pentecost,  Dorsey,  94,  232,  235,  241, 

242,  284,  292,  322,  405,  410. 
"Pet  Indian,"  384-390. 
Phillips,  Col.  Theoph.,  330. 
Phillips,  John,  111,  112,  172,  360. 
Pittsburgh,    beginning-  of,    3;    early 

growth,  4. 
Pierce,  John,   146,  147,  211,  214-216 

353. 
Pluggy,  the  Mohawk,  9. 
Pluggy's-town  Indians,  9,  11. 
Plumer,  George,  354. 
Poe,  Adam,  61,  277. 
Poe,  Andrew,  61,  277, 
Point  Pleasant,  battle  of,  5. 
Pollock,    Maj.  Wm.,    302,  303,  309, 

365. 
Polke,  Maj.  Edmond,  590,  300. 
Porter,  Sergeant,  338. 
Postlethwait,  Mr.,  223. 
Potter,  Gen.  James,  255,  336,  396. 
Procter,  Col.  Thomas,  406. 
Proctor,  John,  234,  235. 
Pumroy,  Col.  John,  324,  325,  330. 
Quebec  bill,  136. 
Rawlings,  Col.  Moses,  corps  of,  39,  40, 

48,  164. 
Redick,  David,  265. 
Reed,  Pres't,  230. 


Redstone-old-forfc,  15. 

Reno,  Wm.,  129. 

Ritchie,  Col.  Matthew,  279,  306. 

Rogers,  David,  44,  45. 

Rocher  (Roche)  de  Bout.  93,  355. 

Rose,  Lieut.  John,  117,  121,  122,  125, 
138,  145,  147,  148,  151,  is:,,  186, 
187,  195,  212,  21:!,  215,  217.  258, 
290,  292,  319,  335,  346,  348,  350, 
364,  367,  406,  407,  412,  419,  422. 

Ross,  Alex.,  332. 

Sample,  Samuel,  31,  86,  152, 154,  159, 
219. 

Sandusky  Plains,  355,  366. 

Sandusky,  expeditions  against,  pro- 
posed, 11,  57,  74;  are  abandoned,  11, 
61,  74;  a  third  proposed  and  given 
up,  282,359;  Crawford's  expedition 
against,  see  Crawford,  Col.  Wm.;  a 
fifth  expedition,  projected,  123  et 
seq. ;  laid  aside,  134  et  seq. 

Sappington,  John,  344. 

Schebosh,  Rev.,  237,  341,  362. 

Scott,  Maj.,  105. 

Scott,  Thomas,  100,  322. 

Seidel,  Rev.  Nathaniel,  238,  289,  343, 
361. 

Seitz,  Andrew  Adam,  217,  218. 

Seneca  Indians,  Brodhead's  expedi- 
tion against,  42. 

Shepherd,  Col.  David,  24,  52,  105, 193, 
266,  302,  318,  356,  380,  409. 

Sinn,  Andrew,  330. 

Slover,  John,  122,  123,  127,  128,  129, 

304,  331  377. 
Small,  John,  350. 
Smallman,  Thomas,  170. 
Smith,  Devereux,  152. 
Smith,  Col.  James,  30. 
Snake,  Capt.,  a  Shawanese  chief,  369, 

370. 
Springer,  Capt.  Uriah,  106,  107,  108, 

139,  351,  419. 
Springer,  Zadock,  330. 
"Squaw  Campaign,"  the,  15,  16. 
St.  Clair,  Arthur,  66,  97. 


430 


Index. 


Steed,  Thomas,   111,    112,   119,    172, 

360. 
Stevens,  Gen.  Edward,  269,  393,  394. 
Stewart,  Walter,  97. 
Stokely,  Capt.  Nehemiah,  46,  330. 
Stokely,  Thomas,  230. 
Sullivan,  Daniel,  396,  393. 
Sullivan,  Maj.-Gen.  John,  42,  110. 
Surplus,  Robert,  17. 
Swearingen,  Capt.  Andrew,  30S. 
Tannehill,  John,  146,  214,  215,  351, 

352,  353. 
Taylor,  Henry,  404. 
Thayendanegea  (Capt.  Joseph  Brant), 

55,  110,  230. 
Thompson,  A.,  230. 
"Triangle,"  the,  69. 
Turney,  Lieut.  John,  368,  369. 
Vallandigham,  Lieut.-Col.  Geo.,  104, 

279,  288,  289,  308. 
Vernon,  Maj.  Fred'k,  33,  38,  75. 
Virginia,  boundaries  of,  7. 
Wallace,  Geo.,  219. 
Wallace,  Robert,  99,  101,  240,  318. 
Walls,  Maj.,  392,  402. 
Walter,  Wm.,  322. 
Ward,  Maj.  Edward,  71, 170,  171, 360. 
Warring,  Thomas,  330. 
Washington  County,  Pa.,  50. 
Washington,  Gen.  George,  10,  20,  34, 

62,  64;  correspondence  of,  71-152. 


Wayne,  Brig. -Gen.  Anthony,  97. 

Weiss,  L.,  238. 

West  Augusta,  District  of,  24,  272. 

"West  Augusta  Regiment,"  11,  75. 

Western  Department,  extent  of,  75. 

Western  Border  War,  7  et  seq.;  13  et 
seq.;  35  et  seq. 

Westmoreland  County,  4. 

White  Eyes,  a  Delaware,  25. 

White,  Maj.  John,  289. 

Willard,  Mrs.  Mary,  384. 

Williamson,  Col.  David,  67,  99,  100, 
101,  104,  121,  122,  125,  236,  237, 
240,  244,  245,  282,  286,  288,  297, 
305,  308,  311,  316,  318,  319,  320, 
364,  365,  366,  367,  374,  377. 

"Williamson's  Expedition,"  99,  236, 
244,  288. 

Wilson,  Capt.,  a  Delaware,  52,  103. 

Willy,  Capt.  Hugh,  395,  399. 

Wilson,  Lieut.-Col.  Samuel,  275,  330. 

Winganund,  a  Delaware,  51. 

Woods,  James,  Journal  of,  10. 

Wuibert,  Lieut.-Col.,  108,  112,  113, 
130,  170. 

Yohogania  County,  Va.,  24. 

Yorktown,  siege  of,  71,  73. 

Zane,  Ebenezer,  390,  397,  409. 

Zane,  Jonathan,  122. 

Zeisberger,  Rev.  David,  58,  59,  63. 

Zingly,  Capt.,  223. 


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